Blood and Tears
by FastForward
Summary: The long awaited :my bad: Roommates sequel. Sasuke wakes up, but something isn't quite right with him. And what does this new organization in town want with Naruto? SasuNaru
1. Past Memories

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**A/N: Hola everyone! If you are reading this, it means you have already read Roommates, since this is the sequel. If you have NOT read Roommates, you should leave, because you won't understand. Just fair warning. And speaking of warning, here's a few for this fic:**

**Warnings of things to come:  
- Yaoi. There will be a lot of this. **_**  
**_**- Rape and sexual abuse. I wasn't going to do this, but in the end, it had to be done to make the story darker.  
- Swearing. Kiba is still here, so there will always be a lot of swearing.  
- Death. Lots of people die. Some are described, some aren't, it depends on whose POV it is. You have been warned!  
- OOC Sasuke. This will all be explained by the end of the chapter, just so you don't think I'm changing Sasuke's character. I like him as a cold bastard :smirk:  
- Possible self-mutilation. I haven't decided on this, yet, but you'll find out if it comes.  
- Substance abuse. All will be explained in due time.**

**Disclaimer: If Naruto were mine, the characters would all chase and kill me for putting them through all this angst. Thankfully, they belong to K. Masashi so they chase **_**him**_** for putting them through all the angst they go through. **

**Thank you to the leviathan for beta-ing AGAIN. You rock my socks :)**

**Also, I update every day (as those of you from Roommates know) but since both the leviathan and I are working, if I'm a day or two late, I apologize. I shall try my best to continue with the update-every-day system, but there may be some days where the leviathan has been unable to check my chapters, or I have been unable to write. I will try not to let this happen, but do bear in mind it is a possibility. I apologize in advance for any late chapters.**

**Spoilers: There are no spoilers as far as the manga goes, since this is an AU, but there are some characters I'm using that **_**are**_** in the manga (new characters). I won't give anything away about them, but they **_**are**_** present in the manga. Just FYI so those of you who haven't read the manga don't think I'm adding in an OC.**

**I have tried to PM/e-mail everyone who has asked to be notified when this fic came out. If I missed anyone, I apologize immensely, but I had **_**so**_** many people asking to be notified. (If you have me on Author Alert, you probably got this chapter before my PM/e-mail. I just didn't want to send out notices before I posted the chapter, cause... yeah, that wouldn't be too smart...)**

**Enough with my babbling!**

**Enjoy :)**

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**Blood and Tears.**

Naruto Uzumaki let out a yelp and recoiled as he clutched his head. He glared up at his attacker, but knew his glare would do nothing. After all, his attacker was used to it.

_Damn Kiba._

"Kiba!" Sakura Haruno hit Kiba Inuzuka across the back of the head, glaring angrily. "You've been punching him as a greeting for the past two months! Let it go!"

"I don't like being lied to!" Kiba exclaimed, nursing his own wound. "How come I was left out of the loop? Why couldn't I have been told?"

"Because you're too loud." Sakura stated dryly.

"We've known he was still alive since Sasuke was shot." Ino Yamanaka said with a sigh, raking her hand through her blond hair. "Of course, I thought this moron was Sasuke since he dyed his damn hair black. You still look ridiculous, by the way. You should—"

"Ino!" Sakura hissed, jerking her head in Naruto's direction. The blonde looked at their friend and instantly bit her tongue, cursing herself angrily. Naruto was staring at the ground, a faraway look in his eyes.

It had been four months since the incident at Naruto's, and Sasuke Uchiha still hadn't woken up. Whenever he was reminded of it, Naruto would close up, and sometimes, he would stay lost in his own mind for hours before anyone managed to bring him back.

"Oh, shit. 'Ruto!" Kiba grabbed his friend's shoulder. Hard. "Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes snapped up to look at Kiba and a grin crossed his face. "Sorry, I spaced out." Naruto laughed. Everyone could tell he wasn't truly happy.

"Are you okay?" Ino asked. "We don't have to do this today."

"No, no, I want to." Naruto insisted. "We've been planning on going to see this movie since Monday. I don't want to put it off." Naruto began bouncing on his feet, looking around. "Damn, where are the others? I want to go see this." He pouted.

Sakura, Ino and Kiba shared a look, not sure whether to be concerned he'd bounced back so quickly, or relieved.

No one knew how to act around Naruto anymore. When they'd all found out he was still alive right before exam period, Kiba had only refrained from jumping on him because the other boy was injured. But they'd all noticed something was wrong with him. He would smile, but he never looked happy. He spent most of his time going back and forth between school and the hospital while exams were going on, and now, during the summer, he spent a few hours with his friends, and the rest of his time in the hospital.

Kakashi Hatake was in the hospital almost as often. He was still pretty beat up, but he was discharged not too long ago to start on physiotherapy. He'd gotten shot through one of his knees and was lucky enough he was able to walk at all. He'd had to get extensive surgery, though, to fix everything he'd had shot by Itachi, but he was going to be fine in the end. Lots of scars, but he would be able to continue with his daily life. He was glad, because classes started up again in about a month, and he still needed to earn his paycheck.

Naruto had paid for all of Kakashi's medical bills, _and_ Sasuke's. The grey-haired professor had insisted he would repay him, but Naruto told him not to. He had the money, and if he could use it to help people he cared about, then he would.

Naruto and his friends had all passed their exams and—despite Naruto having missed a lot of second term—they were all now second year students at university. Sasuke was the only one who hadn't gotten second year status, since he'd missed almost as much of second term as Naruto, _and_ he hadn't taken the final exams. Not that anyone blamed him. After all, he _was_ in a coma.

"So," Sakura said, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence, "Tsunade's letting you get a room in Gage with whoever you want, huh?"

"Yeah." Naruto replied. And the conversation ended there.

The Walter Gage Residence was a set of four thirty-floor buildings near the village on UBC campus. They consisted of one apartment on each floor. There were four separate rooms, a living room area, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Lee Rock, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akamichi were going to be living in the suite above from Naruto. The blond-turned-raven himself would be living with Neji Hyuuga, Gaara Sabaku and Kiba.

Kiba would've preferred to live with the other three because they were close friends, but Naruto was almost like a best friend to him, and he didn't want the other boy to be alone. He would suffer through Neji and Gaara to keep Naruto happy. Besides, no one could make him laugh and smile the way Kiba could.

Well, Sasuke could, but he wasn't around to do that anymore.

"Where _are_ they?" Ino demanded, annoyed, as she glanced at her watch. "We're not going to make it in time."

"Calm down, fuck. We'll just miss the previews." Kiba shrugged.

"I _like_ the previews." the blonde girl insisted.

A car pulled up beside them on the curb and the passenger-side door opened. Hinata stepped out, calling a thanks to Neji before slamming the door and coming up beside the others.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late." she said in her shy voice as she stood beside Kiba.

"No problem, we're still waiting." Kiba kissed her cheek lightly as he intertwined their fingers.

Naruto looked away. Nobody noticed.

"Looks like everyone's here." They turned as they heard Shikamaru's voice.

The lazy boy walked slowly towards them with both hands in his pockets, Shino and Chouji walking along with him.

"Of _course_ everyone's here!" Naruto exclaimed, happy to have something to occupy his mind. He pointed at them all. "_You're_ late, giving everyone _loads_ of time to get here!"

"I didn't want to have to wait." Shikamaru shrugged. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

The large group of friends exited the cinema chatting amongst themselves. Kiba and Naruto were in a heated argument with regard to the main character. Naruto insisted he was great—mostly because he was hot—while Kiba said the man wouldn't know how to act if someone slapped him in the face with it.

The two were really starting to yell at one another when a sleek black car with tinted windows slowed down beside the bus stop they were all standing at. They ignored it at first, figuring the person was either dropping someone off or just parking for a second.

The driver's side door opened and a man emerged. He was wearing a dark green business suit, and looked very professional. He had shoulder-length blond hair tied back and a piercing gaze.

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

All conversation froze and the group turned to look at the man. He walked around his car, headed for them, and Kiba stood protectively in front of Naruto, narrowing his eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Calm down." the man sneered as he reached into his jacket. Kiba watched on fearfully, his fists clenched. The three girls were huddled together and the other boys were ready to lunge at him if he pulled out a gun.

The man did no such thing. Instead, he merely pulled out a business card and held it out to Naruto, who was still behind Kiba.

"This is for you."

"Excuse me?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I don't even _know_ you."

"Forgive me." The man bowed his head slightly. "My name is Mr. Hokuto. Please." He held the card out more and Naruto put his hand on Kiba's shoulder. The brunette growled but moved aside as Naruto stepped forward and took the card. He read the front and frowned, not recognizing the man's name, or the organization he was working for.

"Can I inquire as to why you've come to look for me?" Naruto asked, looking back at Mr. Hokuto.

"Our organization is in town. We usually move around a lot, and since we're here, we thought we'd come discuss business and offer a job to the son of one of our associates." The man had begun to walk back around his car, standing beside the driver-side door.

"You worked with my dad?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Oh, no." The man grinned. "I worked with your mum."

He climbed into the car, slammed the door, and zoomed away before anyone could say anything. Naruto frowned, looking back down at the card in his hand.

"What does it say?" Kiba asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Deidara Hokuto. Akatsuki."

* * *

Naruto climbed out of his black Viper and slammed the door, flipping the keys in his hands as he walked up the small path that led to Kakashi's house. The man had stayed in the professor's quarters on UBC campus, finding it would be too tedious to go back and forth from Victoria to go to the hospital. Besides, staying there meant he got to see Iruka Umino more often.

The boy knocked on the door and heard shuffling inside. A few seconds later, Kakashi opened the door, crutches in hand.

"Hello, Naruto." The current raven nodded and moved aside so his professor could pass. He closed and locked Kakashi's door for him as the grey-haired man made his way slowly to Naruto's car. Naruto beat him to it, opening the passenger-side door and then positioning himself beside it. Kakashi reached him and put one hand on Naruto's shoulder while bringing both crutches into one hand, hopping on one foot to enter the car. He got in and brought the crutches in with him as Naruto slammed the door, going around the car to get back behind the wheel.

"How was the movie?" Kakashi asked as they began their drive to the hospital to see Sasuke.

"Decent." Naruto shrugged. "Main character was hot." Naruto flashed him a grin.

"Mm, I've seen pictures. He's certainly something nice to look at."

"That he is." Naruto turned smoothly. "Talked to Genma lately?"

"Unfortunately." Kakashi sighed. "He keeps asking when I'll be able to have sex again. Don't tell him, but I've already started. Iruka and I—"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "I ain't Genma! I don't care!"

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled Naruto's dyed black hair. Naruto batted his hand away irritably, his eyes still on the road.

Kakashi watched as Naruto drove, feeling his heart wrench in his chest. He could see blond roots appearing because of Naruto's original hair colour, but he knew the roots would disappear soon. Naruto always re-dyed his hair when the roots became really noticeable. He said he wouldn't stop until Sasuke woke up. He wanted to remember everything the raven had gone through. Kakashi was getting worried about him. Sure, Naruto left to hang out with his friends on occasion, but he still spent too much time by Sasuke's bedside.

The doctor's weren't holding their breath in terms of Sasuke's condition. Most of them insisted he wasn't going to wake up; it had been too long already. Kakashi wanted to believe there was hope, and things were starting to look up when Sasuke was taken off life-support two weeks back, able to breathe and live on his own. He was still unconscious, but things were looking better now that he didn't need the machines. Shizune Kimeda said this was a sign of him starting to wake up.

Naruto pulled into the hospital parking lot smoothly, stopping near the door. He climbed out and helped Kakashi out before closing the doors and locking them. The two of them made their way into the hospital, Kakashi teasing Naruto, and the younger boy just ignoring him. They nodded to the nurses on duty, who knew them both really well by now. Almost everyone in the hospital did.

"You staying the night again?" Kakashi inquired as they entered the elevator.

"Yup." Naruto hit the button for Sasuke's floor and the two waited.

"This isn't healthy, you know." Kakashi whispered. "You can't just stay with him all the time. If he wa—"

"_When_ he wakes up." Naruto shot in angrily. Kakashi winced.

"He won't be happy if he finds out you gave up practically your whole life to watch over him."

"I don't care. I want to be the first thing he sees when he regains consciousness." Naruto insisted. "I want him to know I still care about him."

"I'm sure he knows without you having to tell him, Naruto."

"Doesn't matter. I want to be there."

The elevator doors opened and the two made their way to Sasuke's room, Kakashi sighing and shaking his head. They reached the door and Naruto opened it to let Kakashi in, but just as he was about to move out of the grey-haired man's way, he froze, his eyes wide.

Sasuke's eyes were open.

His eyes were _open_ and he was looking around the room in confusion, his eyes still at half-mast, but _open_!

"Naruto, wha—" Kakashi's voice froze in his throat as he looked over the boy's shoulder and noticed what he was staring at. _Dear God, is he really awake?_ Kakashi thought, excitement bubbling in his chest.

"Sa-Sasuke?" Naruto asked, utter disbelief in his voice as the Uchiha looked around with bleary eyes. "I-is this real?"

"Sasuke?" Kakashi pushed past Naruto and hobbled towards Sasuke. He stood right in front of the boy in his care and bent down slightly in front of him. "Can you hear me?"

Sasuke turned his gaze to Kakashi, focusing on him. He then turned to look at Naruto before looking back at Kakashi.

Naruto felt his heart soaring through his chest, threatening to drown him in a huge wave of happiness.

Sasuke was awake. He was alive!

"Sasuke!" Naruto refrained from jumping on the other boy, grabbing his hand instead and forcing the tears back. It would be too stupid to cry, so he wouldn't let himself. Besides, he didn't think that would be the first thing Sasuke would want to see. Sasuke would probably tease him about it.

Naruto was shocked as Sasuke wrenched his hand from Naruto's, his eyes wide as he stared at him, and then looked at Kakashi. Naruto frowned and shared a look with Kakashi. Sasuke was showing something both knew he never did.

Fear.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi inquired carefully.

The Uchiha started hyperventilating, his heart-monitor showing his heart-rate was increasing.

"Wh-where am I?" Sasuke demanded, his eyes wide and searching.

"Sasuke?" Naruto inquired, confused, as the door flew open.

"Get out of the way." Shizune Kimeda ran into the room, shoving Naruto away from the bed. Kakashi moved back on his own, leaving the doctor room to work.

"Where am I?" Sasuke asked, shrinking away from Shizune.

"Calm down, Sasuke. You're in the hospital."

"How did I get here?" Sasuke demanded. "What happened?"

"You were shot and—"

"I was shot?" Sasuke asked hysterically. Kakashi's eyebrows flew into his hairline. Sasuke sounding hysterical?

"Calm down." Shizune insisted as she flashed her flashlight in his eyes. "Tell me what you remember."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto blurted out. "How do you expe—"

"Naruto!" Shizune turned to the Uzumaki. "Let him talk."

Naruto's mouth snapped shut, but he scowled in disapproval. Glancing at Sasuke's heart-rate, he noticed it was still unnaturally high. He was really scared.

"Sasuke, what do you remember?" Shizune repeated.

The Uchiha looked at her, eying her wearily. "Nothing." he admitted in a whisper before looking past her at Naruto. "Who are you?"

Naruto's heart fell into the pit of his stomach.

**

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**A/N: Cliche, I know, but necessary. I needed an Amnesiac-Sasuke. Next chapter tomorrow :P**

**Also, in my fic 'The Calm Before the Storm', I got a review from someone telling me Deidara was a girl and I should research the characters before using them. The thing is, I **_**did**_** research Deidara. It's not my fault if half the sites said Deidara was a dude, and the other half said Deidara was a chick. As it stands, I am going to go with being a dude, because a site I use all the time and always seems to be accurate (wikipedia) said Deidara was a dude. Therefore, I am sorry if we find out later that Deidara is a girl, but for this fic, I need a male Deidara. Just thought I'd clear that up. **

**© 2006 FastForward **


	2. Surprise

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, SasuNaru would be a real pairing. As it is, I'll have to resort to threatening K. Masashi to make SasuNaru happen. And GenRai. KakaIru is optional :ducks hit from Fuzzy-Hime:**__

_**REMINDER: THIS IS A DARK FIC! AND BY DARK, I MEAN "Holy crap, where are the freakin' lights?" DARK!**_

* * *

Shizune stood at the end of the bed, staring into Sasuke's eyes. Kakashi and Naruto had been told to wait outside, and she was now going to establish how bad the situation was.

"All right." Shizune placed her clipboard down. "First things first. My name is Shizune Kimeda. I'm a doctor here at the local hospital. I don't know how to say this delicately, so I'm just going to say it. You've been in a coma for the last four months." Sasuke stared at her.

"What?"

"You were in a coma. You were shot, and then you hit your head on the corner of a table. It sent you into a coma." Sasuke continued to stare at her.

"...what?"

Shizune sighed, shaking her head. This was going to take a while.

"Let's start from the beginning, Sasu—"

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" the Uchiha demanded hysterically. "What's going on?" Shizune winced. So far, things were looking pretty bad.

"I just explained it to you." Shizune said soothingly as she sat down in the chair beside his bed. The one Naruto usually occupied. "You were in a coma. From the sounds of it, you've also suffered a severe case of amnesia."

"Am-amnesia?" Sasuke inquired. "As in—I lost my memory?"

Shizune saw panic flashing in the raven's eyes and she tried her best to calm him down. "Don't worry, chances are it'll come back. It'll take time, but it'll come back." She sighed, shaking her head. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the sheets deep in thought. The more he wracked his brain, the less he seemed to remember. Having a blank slate for a past was beginning to frighten him.

"No." he breathed, feeling panic rising in his chest. "I-I don't remember anything."

"It's okay." Shizune reassured, placing her hand delicately on Sasuke's arm. "It's all right. It'll come back." _I hope,_ the doctor thought, wincing. "I'll tell you a little bit to get you started. Your name is Sasuke Uchiha. That's why everyone was calling you that."

"Sasuke." He nodded. "Okay. Where are my parents?"

Shizune winced. "Unfortunately, they've passed away. Your brother, too." _I'll leave this story to Naruto, _she decided. "The man who was in here with the crutches was your guardian. His name is Kakashi Hatake. Do you remember him?"

Sasuke thought for a minute before shaking his head. "No, I don't."

"That's okay. He's been your guardian since you were a young child."

"Was the boy my foster brother?"

Shizune winced again. _Something __**else**__ for Naruto to tell him._

"He's your best friend." She figured she would tell _half_ the truth.

"What's his name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh." Sasuke looked at his sheets again. "I don't remember them at all."

* * *

"What's wrong with him?" Naruto demanded the second Shizune opened her door. "Why doesn't he know who I am?"

"He doesn't know who _anyone_ is." Shizune said with a sigh as she closed her door.

"Amnesia?" Kakashi inquired from his seat in front of Shizune's desk. The petite brunette nodded as she made her way around the table and sat down.

"Unfortunately, he has no recollection of anything. Not his family, not you, nothing. It's a rare type of amnesia, but it's also the best known to recover. The only thing he'll probably have a harder time getting back is five or six months previous to his coma."

"Great." Naruto muttered. "So that brings us back to, what, November? Fuck, we were still _pranking_ back then!"

"No, you weren't." Kakashi reassured him, his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You were already at _least_ friends."

"Still!" Naruto hollered angrily.

"Naruto, please, calm down." Shizune insisted. "As I said, it's not definite he won't _ever_ get it back. Just know it'll take the longest to get back."

"What about the rest?" Kakashi asked. "Is he going to get it all in sequential order?"

"No." She shook her head. "It'll come as it pleases, but chances are, the worst memories will return first. His family's murder will probably be one of the first things he remembers."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Traumatic experiences are generally the easiest things for the brain to recover." Shizune explained. "Luckily, this trauma will also link him to Kakashi, meaning he should remember him fairly early on."

"Fantastic." Naruto muttered, crossing his arms.

"At least he's awake, Naruto." Kakashi reassured. "You can always rebuild what you had."

"What if he doesn't _want_ what we had?" Naruto demanded. "What if he doesn't want m—" Naruto cut himself off, looking at his hands, which rested in his lap.

"What if he doesn't want you?" Kakashi asked. Naruto merely nodded. "Well, stubborn Sasuke sure wanted you, so what makes you think _this_ Sasuke won't?"

"I don't want him trying to live a life I tell him to just because he knows it's how it used to be." Naruto whispered.

"Is that truly what you want?" Both men looked at Shizune. She clasped her hands together, staring at Naruto. "If you truly want the real Sasuke back _without_ you influencing him, I suggest you hide everything that he ever gave you. Hide all pictures of the two of you together, tell your friends not to mention anything—erase the entire relationship, as if it never existed. That way, you'll know that if he falls in love with you again, it'll be his choice, and not yours."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. Sure." He ran his hand through his black hair.

"Oh, and another thing." Shizune pointed to his hair. "You might want to take the dye out."

"Why?" he asked with a frown.

"He knew you as a blond. The chances of him remembering you will be higher if he sees you the way you looked before."

"Right. Look the same, but don't _act _the same."

"Act the same." Shizune and Kakashi said in unison.

"Act the same." Shizune repeated. "Just—don't kiss him, or—_do_ anything with him."

"I'll try." Naruto sighed.

The three sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Now what?" Naruto demanded.

"Well," Kakashi looked at his watch, staring at the date, "school doesn't start for another week. You're going to be living in Gage, right?" He turned to the Uzumaki.

"Yeah. With Neji, Gaara and Kiba."

"Hn." Kakashi rubbed his face, slightly startled when he felt skin instead of cloth, but got over it. He always forgot he didn't wear the mask anymore. "I'll give Tsunade a call. She was talking about keeping a suite free in case Sasuke woke up. I'm sure she can move people around. Kiba can go live with the others, Lee can move downstairs to live with Neji and Gaara. I heard Kankurou wanted to move in, if possible. You and Sasuke could possibly have a four-person suite to yourselves."

"I can call her." Naruto shrugged. "Doesn't really matter who does it."

"No, you'll be busy." Kakashi insisted. The younger boy frowned.

"Busy? Doing what?"

"Reminding Sasuke who he is."

Naruto stared at Kakashi. "What?"

"I'm still living in the professor's quarters. It's not fit for two people—" He cut himself off as Naruto cocked an eyebrow, silently talking about Iruka. "Well, you know, two people in separate rooms. There's no space. Since I can't go back to Victoria with him because of my physiotherapy, he's going to have to stay with you."

"You _really_ think he's going to want to stay with a stranger?" Naruto bit out, crossing his arms.

"You or I, it makes no difference. He doesn't remember either of us." Kakashi reminded him. "But you're his best friend. I'm sure he'd rather go home with you, than with someone who's supposedly his guardian."

"I agree." Shizune said. Naruto gave her a pleading look. "I know how hard it'll be, Naruto. But you have to realize you'll always be around him, no matter _what_ you do. You know Tsunade and how stubborn she is. She'll get you both a suite together, and you'll never be apart from him. At least this way, he'll get to know you a little before he _officially_ moves in with you."

The boy sighed before nodding, running his hand through his black hair again.

"All right. When can he leave?"

"Now." Shizune said, shrugging. "There's no reason for him to stay any longer. He was only here because of his coma and the fact that he needed to be monitored and fed. Now that he's awake again, he can leave." She held up a finger. "A few things to note, though. He'll have a hard time moving his body the way he wants it to move because he hasn't used his limbs in a while. You'll just have to help him out for a little bit. Walking, holding stuff—those types of things. And food-wise, you should stay with small portions of soft food like eggs and oatmeal. Since he's been on a liquid diet for a while, his stomach will have a hard time processing solid food."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. Let's go get him. I have a long drive ahead of me."

Naruto stood up and left the office without bothering to wait for the two adults. He marched down the corridor and climbed the stairs, not bothering with the elevator since it would take too long. He entered the corridor and then walked to Sasuke's room. Putting his hand on the knob, he took a deep breath before opening the door, plastering a smile on his face.

Sasuke looked at him with his melted-Hershey-kisses eyes, cocking his head to one side. He then raised one hand and pointed at Naruto. "Naruto, right?"

"Yeah." Naruto felt his grin falter slightly, but he kept it in place as best he could. "Sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to scare you." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's okay." Sasuke insisted. "I probably scared you just as badly."

"Nah." Naruto waved his hand about as he moved closer to Sasuke. "I shouldn't have jumped on you like that. Even if you _did_ remember me, chances are you would've told me I was too close."

"Maybe." Sasuke smirked and Naruto's heart broke a little more. The smirk was just _so_ Sasuke—yet at the same time, it wasn't.

"Anyway, I'm your ticket out of here." Naruto motioned himself. Sasuke frowned.

"I'm allowed to leave?"

"Yup. You're out of your coma, so there's no reason for you to stay, really. They would probably monitor you usually, but since I know the doctor and I live really close to the hospital—not this one, another one—Shizune said it was okay for you to come home with me."

"With you?" Sasuke's frown deepened. "Isn't Mr. Hatake—"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his hands wildly. "Oh, _God_, no! _Never_ call Kakashi that, he will _kill_ you. No, we call him 'Kakashi'."

"All right." Sasuke cocked a confused eyebrow. "I thought Kakashi was my guardian."

"He is. But, as you can see, he's not exactly fit to take care of you. He can't walk without the crutches, and you're going to need some help for a while. That's where I come in." Naruto motioned himself. "I'm your best friend. You've spent _loads_ of time at my place. Besides, Kakashi lives on campus, so he hasn't got room for you. He doesn't want to go back to Victoria and—"

"You're losing me." Sasuke whispered, rubbing his temples. "I get why I'm going home with you, but what's all this about Kakashi living on campus and Victoria?"

"Oh." Naruto frowned. "Sorry, I don't really know how much you know and don't know. You're in Vancouver right now."

"Okay, and Victoria is elsewhere?"

"Yeah, you have to go across the bay on a ferry. You and Kakashi live there, but he's a professor at the University of British Columbia. You go there, too. You're a student, though." Naruto clarified.

"I figured that much." Sasuke smirked. "So, he lives on the University campus, therefore he has no place for me at this moment in time."

"Exactly." Naruto grinned. "You catch on quickly. Anyway, you and I were roommates last year so all your stuff is at my place. School starts next week, so we'll be moving back into residence. We'll be suitemates again. Just you and me." Naruto motioned himself and Sasuke.

"How am I still eligible for University when I don't remember anything?" Sasuke inquired.

"Two plus two?"

"Four."

"You're eligible." Sasuke glared.

"I hardly call kindergarten math a good test."

Naruto sighed. "I know the president. Besides, memory or not, you're smart! I bet you anything!" Naruto insisted. "And you have to retake first year courses, anyway, cause you didn't pass into second year since—well..." Naruto trailed off.

"I was in a coma?" Sasuke finished for him.

"Yeah. That." Naruto shuffled his feet. "Anyway, I'm going to drive Kakashi home, and then I'll come pick you up, okay? We can head back to my place and maybe jog your memory." Sasuke nodded. Naruto grinned at him before waving and exiting the room in search of Kakashi.

As Sasuke lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling, he furrowed his eyebrows. There was something about Naruto's appearance that seemed a little off, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was.

* * *

Naruto opened the door to the guest room closest to his own room and helped Sasuke inside, the other boy leaning heavily on him. At least he was able to stand—that was a good sign.

As Sasuke entered the room, he scanned the area, looking around for anything familiar.

"Is this the room I always stay in?" Sasuke inquired as he was led towards the bed. He sat down on it with Naruto's help, missing the wince the other boy did.

"No. You usually stay in another room, but—it's not clean, so you'll have to settle for this one. Is it okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Sasuke replied, looking up at the still-standing Naruto.

Naruto scratched the back of his head before he remembered what Shizune had said. "Hey, you can just make yourself at home. You know, go exploring." Naruto put crutches down beside Sasuke on the bed, Shizune having given them to him since she thought they would help Sasuke. "I'm gonna go shower."

"Okay." Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded and turned on his heel, walking out of the room and down the corridor. He entered his room and closed the door behind himself before leaning back against it and sighing, shaking his head. This was a nightmare.

Pushing off the door, Naruto walked into the bathroom and stripped. He quickly got in the shower after grabbing some laundry detergent from under the sink—he'd left it there specifically so he would be able to wash the black out of his hair when Sasuke woke up. Even though the raven didn't remember who he was, Shizune told Naruto the blond hair might help jog some memories.

Washing his hair thoroughly with shampoo and laundry detergent, Naruto turned the water off and got out of the shower. As he glanced in the mirror, he winced. His hair was a gross grey colour in some areas. Most of it was blond, but the dye had stuck to certain parts of his hair. It would probably look like that for a while.

He changed quickly before exiting his room in search of Sasuke. He found the raven standing in the middle of the living room with his crutches, staring down at the coffee table. Naruto realized it was probably because the blood from his fall hadn't come out of the wood.

"Hey." Sasuke turned as Naruto spoke, and frowned.

"Your hair..."

"Yeah." Naruto ran his hand through his damp hair. "Shizune told me to take the dye out. I'm a natural blond, and you knew me as a blond, so she thought it might help."

Sasuke nodded. "You look better as a blond. You looked weird with black hair."

"You'd have to know me with blond hair, first." Naruto smirked. The raven shrugged.

"I guess some part of me remembered, cause you looked weird." He turned back to the table. "Is this where I fell?"

Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets before walking up to Sasuke, looking down at the table with him. "Yeah. Right corner is where you hit your head." Naruto nodded to the corner. Sasuke stared at it. "Come on, I'll get you something to eat."

The blond walked down the corridor to the kitchen, Sasuke following a second later on his crutches.

"Do you know how long it'll take for my muscles to support me?" Sasuke inquired as they entered the kitchen.

"Shizune said probably a couple of days. You're lucky you weren't out for too long—well, _she_ says it wasn't too long. Felt like an _eternity_ to me."

"Yeah." Sasuke whispered. "I'll work on some exercises tonight. I'd like to be able to get around without the crutches." Naruto nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. You like eggs?" he asked as he opened the fridge.

"I don't know." Sasuke frowned. "Do I?"

Naruto laughed, shaking his head as he turned to look at Sasuke. "I don't know. We usually ate waffles, to be honest. I'm supposed to feed you mushy stuff for a while." Naruto turned back to stare into the fridge, frowning. "Hm. I don't know about eggs, but I'm pretty sure you're okay with oatmeal." He turned back to Sasuke. "Want oatmeal?"

"Sure." The raven shrugged.

"Cool." Naruto walked towards the cabinets as Sasuke sat down at the kitchen table. "Oh, Jello. That's mushy. And wobbly." Naruto turned and grinned at Sasuke. "I'll make some Jello, too."

"Okay. What flavour?" Sasuke inquired.

"Hm." Naruto pursed his lips, deep in thought. "I don't think we've ever eaten Jello, either. We'll be safe and go with grape. Everybody loves grape." Naruto grabbed the oatmeal and Jello out of the cabinet before setting them on the counter and grabbing his kettle. He filled it with warm water before setting it to boil.

Just as the blond was about to sit down with Sasuke, the phone rang.

"Shit. Wait here, I'll be right back." Naruto jogged towards the hall to answer the phone—the batteries in the cordless in the kitchen had run out, and he hadn't gotten around to replacing them.

The blond entered the hallway and grabbed the phone off the table, putting it to his ear. "Yo."

"Naruto Uzumaki?" The blond frowned.

"Yes?"

"This is Deidara Hokuto. I met with you earlier this evening."

"How did you get my number?" Naruto demanded. "It's not listed."

"I've known your number for years. I got it from your mother." A chill ran down Naruto's spine.

"Fine, whatever. What do you want?"

"We're having a meeting tonight. You're required to come. I'll pick you up at the Fraser Bridge, nine o'clock sharp."

"Look, man, my friend just woke up from a coma. I don't feel like—"

"You'll be there." Deidara interrupted, finality in his voice. "Or else."

The line went dead.

* * *

Naruto blew into his hands as he stood on the bridge, checking his watch for what felt like the thousandth time. He was early, but he felt like he may have been _too_ early. He'd been standing in the cold for hours.

It was unnaturally cold for the month of August, and Naruto wished for the millionth time that he was still at home. He'd much rather be spending time with Sasuke. _Poor Sasuke, _the blond thought with a sigh. He'd put the raven in front of the television, telling him he had to run an errand. He would've told him where he was going and what he was doing if he _knew_, but since he didn't, he just said he was running an errand. He told Sasuke to head to bed whenever he felt like it, and gave the raven his cell number in case anything happened.

On his way over, Naruto had called Kiba to tell him the good news—and the bad news. He'd asked for Kiba to pass the message along, telling him to inform everyone that he and Sasuke were _not_ to be called a couple for the time being. He wanted to do this right.

As Naruto's lower lip began to quiver from the cold, the same black car from earlier appeared at the end of the bridge, driving down the street slowly. It stopped beside Naruto and he just stared at it, unable to see through the tinted glass.

The passenger-side window rolled down and Naruto looked in, seeing the same man—Deidara—at the wheel.

"Get in." he ordered.

"Look, I just came because—"

"Get. In."

Naruto winced. He looked around before cursing under his breath and opening the car door, getting in before slamming it again. Instantly, the door locked and Deidara pulled away from the side of the road, driving down the street at something only slightly slower than the speed limit.

"Where are we going?"

"To a meeting."

"What kind of meeting?" Naruto asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer. "Why are you making me come?"

"We were in league with your mother. It seems only suitable for her son to follow in her footsteps." Naruto winced.

"Look, I don't know how long ago it was that you knew my mom, but—she turned into a murderer. You know, a serial killer."

"I know." Deidara informed as he stopped the car at a red light.

"You know? Then why would you want me to follow in her footsteps?" Naruto inquired as he watched Deidara fish through his pockets. The older man pulled a black piece of cloth out, throwing it at Naruto before starting to drive again, the light having turned green.

"What's this?" Naruto picked it up and realized it was a blindfold.

"Put it on." Deidara ordered. Naruto frowned.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Am I gonna get _any_ answers?" Naruto growled.

"Eventually." Deidara smirked. "But for now, just do as I say."

Naruto clenched his jaw before looking out the front windshield. He then shook his head. "Shit." He brought the material over his eyes and tied it at the back of his head, ensuring it was in place.

Deidara glanced at him when the blond's hands fell back to his lap. He reached behind his back and pulled out a small handgun, waving it in front of Naruto's face, only half-watching the road. The blond didn't react, so Deidara nodded. He had been testing to make sure the blindfold was on properly. No matter how good of an actor he was, Naruto still would've tensed if he'd seen the gun. The lack of reaction proved he couldn't.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" Naruto demanded.

"In due time." Deidara replied. "Just sit tight. We'll be there shortly."

* * *

"Can I take this thing off?" Naruto demanded, motioning the blindfold.

"No."

The blond let out an annoyed sigh as he crossed his arms, allowing Deidara to lead him down what he _assumed_ was a corridor. Their footsteps echoed off the walls, and there was a hint of dampness in the air that suggested there were pipes nearby. Naruto wasn't sure _where_ they were; he just knew this "organization" probably did something illegal.

_It's okay, _Naruto thought, trying to remain calm. _When I get out of here, I'll talk to Keita. I'll give him Deidara's card and a description, and everything will be fine. No worries... provided I get out of here __**alive**__. Oh, fuck, I hope they're not after my kidneys!_

Self-consciously, Naruto wrapped his arms around his middle, his hands covering his kidneys behind his back. Deidara just smirked at the action, even though he had no idea what Naruto was thinking.

They stopped in front of a door and Deidara knocked on it. A small opening appeared at the top and Deidara held his hand up, showing whoever was on the other side his ring. The opening closed and the door creaked open with the sound of metal grinding on metal. Naruto winced.

"Move." Deidara pushed him and Naruto stumbled, but was caught by someone inside the room.

"This him?" a new voice asked.

"Yeah, that's him." Deidara informed.

Naruto was shoved in a certain direction and he stumbled again, walking blind. He was shoved into a chair as the door was closed again and the blindfold was ripped off. He recoiled as the bright light shone into his eyes, having gotten used to the dark.

Now that he could see, Naruto looked around the room and saw a few more people. In total, he counted nine. He could see all of them except for one, who was hiding in the shadows across the room.

"So, brat." Naruto looked at the person who'd led him to the chair. He was tall, and somewhat scary-looking. He had black hair, but his skin looked slightly green, almost as if he were sick. And his eyes—they were _yellow_. Naruto had never seen eyes like that before. "You're Minako's kid, huh?"

"He looks more like that bastard of a father of his." a man with red hair said monotonously. He almost reminded Naruto of Gaara.

That was when Naruto realized he was the youngest person in the room—well, apart from Mr. Shadow, but from what he could tell, even _he_ was older than Naruto.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He succeeded. _Point for me, _he thought bitterly.

"We're the Akatsuki." Deidara informed as he took a seat across from Naruto. "These are to be your co-workers."

"I never said I was joining." Naruto insisted.

"You don't have to _say_ anything." the black haired, green-tinted man said.

"Forgive Zetsu, he gets grouchy when he hasn't killed anything in over four hours." Deidara said, waving his hand in Zetsu's direction. Naruto forced a laugh, but something told him it wasn't a joke.

"So, why am I here again?" Naruto asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"First of all, let's all introduce ourselves to the Uzumaki kid." Deidara called. "Minako killed a hell of a lot of good people. We owe her son _that _much." The blond frowned, not liking where this was going. "You know me, I'm Deidara Hokuto. That over there is Zetsu Yokado." The black-haired man nodded. "He's Sasori Kobayashi." Naruto noticed it was the Gaara look-alike. "Then there's Kakuzu Gaijin, Kauma Nakada, Kuro Jumonji, Hidan Rouka and Tobi Mamamoshi." Naruto struggled to remember all their names, but he knew he would forget at least one or two.

"And who's that?" Naruto motioned the man in the shadows, whose name he still hadn't heard.

"From what we heard, you know him quite well." Deidara smirked.

"Oh, he knows me well, all right." Naruto's eyes widened in fear and he almost propelled out of his seat. "Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Orochimaru Sannin." the blond whispered fearfully. Fuck, were they all going to kick the shit out of him?

"Don't worry." Naruto looked back at Sasori. "He won't hurt you. We need you."

"Need me to do what?" Naruto blurted out, alarmed. "I don't even know why the fuck I'm here!"

"We're getting to it." Deidara said nonchalantly. "Our organization, the Akatsuki, is a for-hire group of disposers." He grinned at the blond, and Naruto felt a chill run down his spine all the way to his toes. "Basically, it's a fancy way of saying we're serial killers."

* * *

Naruto wanted to leave, and he wanted to leave _now_. Unfortunately, he wasn't _able_ to leave, since there were nine serial killers in between _him_ and the _door_.

"Wh-what do you m-mean?" Naruto stuttered.

"Tch. Listen to him. Stuttering like a schoolgirl on her first date." Hidan joked, crossing his muscular arms. "We _kill_ people, little boy."

"I believe you're acquainted with two of our old members." Naruto looked back at Deidara, feeling his heart rate double. "Itachi and Kisame."

Naruto's mind flashed back to Sasuke's older brother. He could only assume this Kisame person was the man that had been killed outside his house, thought to be Itachi's companion. They were part of this group?

"I know what you're thinking." Deidara cut off his train of thought. "They _were_ part of the Akatsuki. See, but then, Itachi went rogue. Started obsessing over his brother or something. As for Kisame, he was just crazy. He killed people left, right and centre, but you see us, we have a system. We can't draw too much attention to ourselves. Minako learned that the hard way."

Naruto felt like emptying his stomach. In fact, he was threatening to empty his stomach. Hearing these people talking so easily about his mother—someone he'd _hated_ his whole life because she'd made his existence a living _hell_.

"S-so what do you w-want with m-me?" Naruto asked, trying to force himself to stop stuttering.

"Well see, we're short. We used to have Itachi and Kisame, but since they went off on their own, we added Tobi and good ol' Orochimaru here." Deidara motioned the two newcomers. "We're back to nine people, but they're not as experienced as Kisame and Itachi. Therefore, we needed a new recruit. And who better to ask than Minako's own son?"

Naruto tried hard not to laugh. The situation _really_ wasn't appropriate, but all he wanted to do was laugh.

"This is all great and everything, but, I'm not interested." Naruto said as coolly as he could, standing up from his chair. "You know, thanks, but no thanks." He laughed—or, _forced_ himself to—as he made his way slowly to the door. "No hard feelings."

"There are plenty of hard feelings." Naruto turned to Orochimaru who was walking right for him.

_Just be cool, _Naruto thought as he inched towards the door. _Just be cool, and then slip out the second you can._

He bumped into someone and turned to see Tobi standing behind him, his arms crossed and smirking down at Naruto. _Okay, not going to work._

Orochimaru grabbed the front of his shirt and wrenched him forward. Naruto had no choice but to follow through with gravity, stumbling forward awkwardly. He was then spun around to face angered hazel eyes. Deidara had never looked so menacing.

Then, all thought left Naruto's mind as he felt the cold barrel of a gun pressing against his right temple, Orochimaru's hand gripping the end of it. The Sannin's other hand clutched Naruto's left wrist, keeping him somewhat in place.

_Holy shit! Oh my God! Holy__**fuckingfucking**__die!_ Naruto thought frantically, his words running into each other.

Despite how hard he tried not to, Naruto pissed his pants. He had never been so terrified in his entire life, and considering his year so far, that was saying something. Itachi had never aimed at his head. Now, there he stood, at the mercy of someone who already hated him. There was no way he was walking out of this warehouse alive tonight.

"I missed the part where this was a negotiation." Deidara said in a deadly whisper. "You see, the way _I_ perceived this, it went more along the lines of us _saying_ you would help us, and you _accepting_ our generous offer." Deidara ran his hand through Naruto's bangs, brushing them out of the blond's eyes. "We never said you had to _kill_ anyone. Well, not right now, anyway. You're new, you'll be sloppy. No, for now, we just need someone to hold them still and then help us get rid of the evidence."

Naruto was barely listening he was shaking so badly. He could feel his urine sliding down his pants. Tears were streaming down his face and his knees kept buckling, but he forced himself to stay standing. He couldn't die. Not now! Not when Sasuke had _finally_ woken up! He had to get through this alive!

"We know we can only push you so far." Naruto's eyes shifted to look at Sasori as he spoke, but he didn't dare move his head. Orochimaru would _gladly_ blow it off. "We know that after a certain point, you'd rather die than help us. That's why we have this." Sasori pulled a folder out from seemingly nowhere and held up a picture. Naruto's eyes widened. "Kiba Inuzuka. Originally from a farm in Ontario, but currently residing in Gage Towers at UBC, second floor of North Tower." He put the picture back and held out another one. "Gaara Sabaku, lives downtown with his family, but currently residing in Gage Towers at UBC, second floor of North Tower." He put the picture away and pulled out _another_. "Tsunade Sannin, President of UBC, residing at 2418 West Marine Drive." On and on it went. Every person Naruto had met and become friends with from Iruka and Genma, to Neji and Hinata. Every single person that meant something to Naruto. And then, it was the last picture that _really_ got to him. Because there was no way they should've known about this one.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Currently residing at 1324 Merkley Crescent. He'll soon be moving to Gage Towers, fourth floor, North Tower." He put the picture away and closed the file. "He's also currently on crutches from being in a four month coma, and has amnesia."

"Think about it, Naruto." Naruto looked back at Deidara. "All these people you know and care about, versus people we tell you to help us kill and bury. Which will it be?"

Naruto's breaths came short and fast, his eyes rolling in his head as he threatened to pass out from lack of oxygen to his brain. This was all too much. There was no way he could choose in a situation like this! It wasn't fair! What had he done to deserve this?

The barrel being pressed harder against his temple reminded him that he _had_ no choice. If he said no, then they'd either blow his head off, kill everyone he loved, or do both. There was nothing he could do but agree, no matter how much he didn't want to.

Licking his lips, Naruto said the word he knew he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Deidara prompted, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Leave them alone." Naruto's shaking intensified as Orochimaru pressed harder against the gun, and then shifted his grip from Naruto's hand to Naruto's stomach. "L-leave them all alone, and I'll do whatever you say."

"You hear that?" Deidara smirked. "He said he'd do whatever we say."

"Are you sure?" Kauma inquired with a vicious smirk. Naruto hesitated, but Orochimaru answered for him.

"You'll do as we say." the Sannin breathed in his ear, shifting to run his free hand along Naruto's neck. "Whatever we say. _Everything_ we say."

Naruto shook uncontrollably, tears still streaming down his face, and his pants wet with his piss. He swallowed hard before nodding, his voice shaking as he spoke.

"All r-right."

"Say you understand." Orochimaru pressed the gun harder against Naruto's temple. The blond clenched his eyes shut, tears spilling over.

"I understand."

"Master." Orochimaru smirked.

"I u-understand m-master."

It was humiliating. It was degrading. It was downright insulting. But, Naruto would do it. He had to. For his life. For Kakashi's. Kiba's, Hinata's, Gaara's, Neji's—everyone's. And most importantly, for Sasuke's.

"Good little boy. First order of business." Orochimaru pressed his hips into Naruto's back and the blond's shaking intensified as he felt the bulge in his professor's pants. "Suck me off. And like it."

The gun was gone from beside his head, but it didn't matter. Naruto knew he had no choice now. He had a weakness. His friends had become liabilities. And now, he had no control over his own life. His life was now in the hands of this band of murderers, and he'd have to do everything they asked to keep those he loved safe.

Swallowing his pride, Naruto turned and fell to his knees in front of Orochimaru, tears streaming endlessly down his face. With shaking hands, he unbuttoned the Sannin's pants and pulled down the zipper.

Naruto already knew this was going to be the worst night of his life.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: I know, I'm a cruel, cruel person. Please don't hate me.**

**As for Sasuke leaving the hospital right after waking up from a coma, I know that would never happen, but I needed him to be at Naruto's, so bear with me. This **_**is**_** fictional.**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	3. Friends

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is mine! MINE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :Gets arrested by K. Masashi: DAMMIT!**

**

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry this fic is so dark! I don't know what happened! I PROMISE I will try my best to give this a happy ending. In all honesty, my angsty fics usually have happy endings, and my happy fics usually have angsty endings... I probably just scared the shit out of all my Pyro readers :sweatdrop:**

**Also, thanks to shimomizu for the Naruto site :smiles:**

* * *

Sasuke paced outside Naruto's door as he bit his thumbnail. He'd managed to regain most of his strength in just one night because he'd spent most of it awake doing leg exercises. He'd been in a coma for four months; he had no need for sleep.

Around two-thirty in the morning, he'd heard Naruto come home. He'd been about to go and see him when he realized the blond was crying. It wasn't the type of 'my car got a scratch and now I need a new paint job' crying. It was full-fledge 'I hate my life and I want to kill myself horribly and painfully to make this other pain go away' type of crying. Sasuke hadn't known what to do, so he'd just hidden.

The blond had come upstairs and disappeared into his room. Seconds later, the shower had turned on and Sasuke could _still_ hear him crying. He was pretty sure the other boy had cried himself to sleep.

And now, it was ten in the morning, and Sasuke didn't know what to do. It was hard for him to want to comfort someone he _knew_ was his friend, but he didn't actually _remember_. He didn't know what kind of person Naruto was. Would he appreciate Sasuke trying to help him, or get insulted at the fact that Sasuke didn't think he could take care of himself?

Sasuke's pacing halted as he heard a lock click and the door to Naruto's room opened. The blond look absolutely horrible. He had bags under his eyes, which were red and puffy, as if he'd been crying in his sleep. His hair was dishevelled and he was wearing the same clothes he had the day before, except patches of the clothes were wet.

It was almost as if Naruto had come home, gotten in the shower with the clothes on, and then fallen on his bed to sleep.

"Hey." Sasuke said in a low voice, trying not to startle Naruto. It didn't seem like the other boy even knew he was there.

"Hi." Naruto whispered before pushing past him and heading for the stairs. "Hungry?"

"Wait a second." Sasuke called.

Naruto turned to look at him and Sasuke frowned. He walked up to Naruto and hesitantly reached out. Naruto flinched, but didn't move or say anything, so Sasuke took his chin in one hand and turned his head. On the blond's right temple was the biggest bruise Sasuke had ever seen. And also, upon closer inspection, he noticed two light bruises running up along Naruto's jaw, too. Almost as if he'd been to the dentist and his mouth had been forced open too wide for way too long.

"You're all bruised up. What happened last night?"

"Nothing." Naruto pulled away so Sasuke wasn't touching him anymore. "I went to run some errands and ran into some trouble."

"Are you okay?" Sasuke debated whether to tell him he had been awake, and had heard him crying. He decided against it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Naruto turned and walked down the stairs. "Come on, I'll get you food."

Sasuke followed him downstairs without a word, but as they headed for the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Naruto froze and tensed, something Sasuke didn't fail to notice. The blond whipped around like he'd been yanked when they both heard someone trying the front door.

"Get in the kitchen and stay out of sight." Naruto ordered, rushing past Sasuke to get to the door. The raven obeyed, but only because of the fear he'd seen in Naruto's eyes.

Naruto himself was trembling as he made his way to the door. He could see three shadows outside, and his hands were shaking so badly it took him four tries to unlock the door. When he finally got it unlocked, the door was flung open and he let out a scream of terror before he realized that what he'd mistook for someone attacking him was actually someone hugging him to death.

"Naruto! Were you _that_ excited to see me?! I thought you were going to wet your pants! I know you're sexually frustrated, but you have to remember I'm your _professor_. It's not _moral_."

"_You _have morals? Since when do _you_ believe in morals?"

"Hey, Sasuke's awake, isn't he? I can't hit on Naruto, he'll burn out my eyes!"

Raidou Namiashi and Genma Shiranui began having a nice little argument in Naruto's entrance, both of them almost completely forgetting that Naruto was there. Kakashi, however, was staring right at him, and he could tell something was wrong.

It wasn't the fact that Naruto was white as a sheet, nor was it the fact that he was shaking all over. The scream wasn't even the reason he could tell. No, to Kakashi, it was the look of absolute pure _terror_ in the blond's eyes.

"W-what are you doing here?" Genma and Raidou stopped their bickering at once, staring at Naruto, confused.

"Are you okay?" Genma asked, calming down. "Hey, I didn't mean to scare you so badly. I'm sorry. I just haven't seen you for a while."

"I'm not scared." Naruto insisted, forcing a smile on his face. It looked more like the grimace he'd worn earlier that year, the day before the anniversary of his parents' death. "I was just surprised."

"What's going on?"

"Sasuke!" Genma flew past Naruto, bee-lining straight towards the raven. He'd come out of the kitchen after hearing Naruto scream. The crying the night before and the bruises he'd seen that morning had concerned him.

Of course, he never could've known that the only person who'd need saving in _this_ situation—was him.

Genma slammed into him full-force, wrapping his arms around him and lifting him straight off the ground. "Oh my God! Sasuke! You're finally awake! It's been _forever_ since I've seen you! Did you have a good fuck yet? I hear it's always better when you're doped up on morphine or some shit like that. Are you doped up on morphine?"

"Who the fuck are you?!" Sasuke practically shrieked, panic evident in his eyes.

"Genma, remember what Kakashi said!" Raidou hollered as he slapped his boyfriend across the back of the head. Genma dropped Sasuke with a yelp, the raven landing ungracefully on his ass on the plush carpet. "He has amnesia! Don't scare him, you dipshit!"

"I hate to say it," Kakashi said as he hobbled forward on his crutches, "but if you're scared of Genma, Sasuke, you'll be absolutely _terrified_ of Gai."

"Don't let him meet Gai." Naruto insisted as he closed his door. "There's no need for him to go through that. He's better off just _not_ knowing Gai."

"I don't care about this Gai person!" Sasuke hollered. _"Who the fuck is **that**?!"_ He pointed at Genma, a look of horror on his face.

"Genma's always like that." Naruto insisted as he helped Sasuke get back to his feet, Kakashi eying him. He wasn't fooled by how quickly Naruto had bounced back. The blond was good at that. "His name is Genma Shiranui. That's his boyfriend, Raidou Namiashi. Raidou's the calm one who keeps the perverted and hyper one in line."

"The perverted and hyper one being him?" Sasuke pointed at Genma.

"Yeah. Again, he's Genma. We like him, but he's crazy."

"I am _not_ crazy!" Genma pouted and crossed his arms. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"You've known them almost as long as you've known me." Kakashi interjected. "Maybe not _as_ long, since I've known you since you were—what, two? Three, maybe?" Kakashi frowned as he thought about it for a few seconds. "No, it was two. Anyway, you met them the same year I gained custody of you."

"How old was I?"

"I don't know. Nine?" Kakashi asked the other two.

"Around there." Raidou agreed.

"Hey, Naruto, what happened to you?" Genma suddenly asked, the other two turning to look at the blond due to Genma's inquiry. It was only then that Kakashi saw the bruise on Naruto's temple. The angle he'd been at before had prevented him from seeing it.

"Oh, nothing." Naruto insisted as he laughed, waving his hand. "I tripped and hit my head while I was out running errands. I'm a klutz, you know that."

"What about your jaw?" Sasuke interjected, a tone in his voice that resembled that of the old Sasuke.

Everyone turned to him as he asked his question before the three professors turned back to Naruto, waiting for his answer. The blond just stared at them, his mouth slightly open. He had no lie for that. He prided himself for being an excellent liar when he had to be, but for once in his life, the lies evaded him. Maybe it was the way Sasuke was looking at him; a look that was telling Naruto he wasn't going to believe anything that came out of his mouth because he knew it wouldn't be the truth.

After a few seconds, Naruto laughed and shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm clumsy. I have no idea how I got them. You guys hungry?" Naruto pushed past everyone, headed for the kitchen.

"You got coffee?" Genma asked as he bounced around behind Naruto, following the blond into the kitchen. Sasuke was given the impression Genma was a four year old as opposed to a full-grown man.

"'Course I've got coffee, but _you're_ not getting any. Raidou, Kakashi, coffee?"

"Please." both men said as they sat down at his kitchen table, Genma still standing in the doorway with a look of shock on his face.

"How come _I_ don't get coffee?!"

"'Cause you're crazy enough as it is." Naruto insisted as he started brewing the black liquid. "Sit down."

Pouting, the professor obeyed, Sasuke taking the last available seat at the table. Raidou and Genma spoke to Sasuke about various things, trying to jog his memory, as Naruto tinkered around in the kitchen, making oatmeal for Sasuke.

Just as he put the bowl in front of his best friend, his phone rang. He cursed having forgotten to put batteries into his kitchen phone _again_ and rushed out of the room. He grabbed the phone off the hall table and put it to his ear.

"Yo."

"Hello, Naruto."

The blond's blood ran cold and his grip tightened on the phone. He turned around and leaned through the living room entrance slightly to see into the kitchen. Everyone was still sitting at the table, talking. Naruto retreated back into the hallway and bent down beside the table that held the phone.

"What do you want?" Naruto hissed into the phone, his heart pounding in his throat.

"That's no way to talk to me, Uzumaki." Orochimaru spat on the other end. "I'm calling because there is something that needs to be done."

"What?" Naruto asked, feeling bile rising in his throat due to the various thoughts that entered his mind.

"I was looking at my register and noticed your name isn't on it for my Chemistry class. Deidara has requested you join it."

_Aw, **hell** no!_ Naruto thought with wide eyes. _No fucking way! I'm not joining his class!_

"I can't." he blurted out before thinking about it. "I—Sasuke. We have to be in the same classes, and he can't make any of the classes you teach."

"Well, too bad for Sasuke. You either join my class, or try and figure out which one of your friends you'd like to have killed first." Naruto's grip was cracking the plastic phone and he gritted his teeth. This was _beyond_ unfair, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"Fine." he gritted out. "What time would you like me to attend?"

"The three o'clock class. I have a spare after it. Be sure to keep the next hour free, as well."

Naruto's mind flashed back to the night before and he felt his stomach churn, even though it was empty.

"Fine." He hung up without another word and pushed himself to his feet. He ran down the corridor just as Genma came out of the living room to ask him a question, only to have the blond fly by him.

Naruto slammed into the bathroom and emptied what little content his stomach possessed. When it was empty, he started dry-heaving before a little bit of blood flew from between his lips.

"Holy shit! Naruto, are you okay?!" Genma demanded as he fell down beside Naruto and put one hand on his back. "Kakashi, call an ambulance!"

"No." Naruto insisted, lightly pushing the other man away as he coughed. "I'm fine."

"You're puking blood, you're not _fine_!" Genma exclaimed as Raidou came into the bathroom as well.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Naruto hollered as he got to his feet and pushed Raidou out of the way, running down the corridor. "Just leave me alone!"

They heard the blond running up the stairs before slamming into his room, locking the door. Raidou and Genma shared a look as Kakashi and Sasuke came into the corridor.

"I called the ambulance, like you asked." Kakashi informed. "What was that all about?"

"Fuck if I know." Genma said, scratching his head.

"Um..." All of them looked at Sasuke. "There's something I need to tell all of you."

* * *

Kakashi knocked on Naruto's door, Sasuke standing behind him while Genma and Raidou waited by the stairs.

"Naruto?" the grey-haired professor called, knocking again.

Sasuke had told the three of them about the night before. Naruto had left with his car to run errands, and returned late at night in tears. Kakashi didn't like the sound of that, and he was going to confront the blond about it right now. He wasn't going to take any more lies.

Kakashi regarded Naruto as his son, now, because of all the time they'd spent together due to Sasuke's condition. He cared about the blond as much as he cared about Sasuke, so he was _not_ going to let this slide and pretend nothing was wrong.

"Naruto, open the door." Kakashi said, knocking louder. "I know you can hear me, will you just open the door?"

Silence met his request. Kakashi growled and pounded on the door. "Naruto Uzumaki, open the damn door!"

"Move." Kakashi turned to Sasuke as he spoke and obeyed, moving to the side. Sasuke walked up to the door and placed his hand on it before knocking slightly. "Raidou, who's stronger, you or Genma?" he called down to the other two professors, his eyes still on the door.

"Me." Genma said, although he didn't boast as he made his way towards Sasuke. The pervert knew when to be serious, and right now, this was serious. "What do you want me to do?"

"Smash into the door right there." Sasuke motioned a spot on the door. "It'll break the lock instantly." Genma cocked an eyebrow before looking at Kakashi. The other man shrugged, not knowing where this was coming from, either.

Genma shrugged as well before positioning himself accordingly and then smashing into the door. He stumbled as he broke through, the door hitting the opposite wall before rebounding off it and smashing back into Genma's face. The perverted professor let out a yelp as he clutched his nose, but Sasuke merely pushed past him and into the room.

The raven looked around, but found no trace of the blond. Kakashi hobbled in behind him, also glancing around.

"Where is he?" Sasuke demanded, panic rising in his throat.

Suddenly, the door that led to the bathroom opened and Naruto emerged towelling his hair dry—and wearing nothing at all around his waist.

Sasuke's eyes zeroed in on Naruto's lower region without meaning to, and he suddenly found his heart beating a little faster than it had been a second ago.

Naruto looked up at that moment and his eyes bugged out before he slapped both hands over his crotch.

"Holy _shit_ you're well-endowed!" Kakashi slammed the door in Genma's face, the other cursing as it hit his nose again.

"Raidou, you and Genma take a walk."

"Got it." Raidou said, and they all heard the two men walking down the corridor, Genma complaining about not seeing more of Naruto.

"What the fuck!" Naruto hollered as he let go of his crotch with one hand to grab the towel around his neck and wrap it around himself. "Ever heard of _knocking_?!"

"We _did_ knock." Sasuke stated. "You didn't answer."

"I probably couldn't hear you 'cause I was _in the shower_!" Naruto snapped, tightening the towel around his waist as he blushed slightly. Sasuke found it adorable.

_Wait a second, _the raven thought with a frown. _**Adorable**? Since when do I find guys **adorable**?_ As Sasuke pondered this, he examined the blond's toned body, glancing at all the scars he could see. He had a huge one in the centre of his chest, one in his left shoulder, and one on his stomach, close to a swirly tattoo that surrounded his navel. Sasuke also noticed lighter scars, these ones just straight lines on various parts of his chest. He had thought the day before that he'd seen scars on the boy's face, but he'd shrugged it off as a trick of the light. He was starting to think maybe he _hadn't_ been wrong. _Dear **God**, what **happened** to this guy?!_

"Sasuke told us about last night." Kakashi informed as he made his way to Naruto's desk and sat down in the chair, leaning his crutches up against the desk.

The blond shot at look at Sasuke, who avoided his eye, instead looking around Naruto's room. He hadn't entered it the night before, and he wanted something else to look at so Naruto didn't notice he'd been staring at him. Now that he thought about it, he found the room looked really warm and welcoming. _You're drifting,_ Sasuke thought, forcing himself back to the present.

"He told you about last night?" Naruto finally asked. "What about last night?"

"You came home crying." Sasuke cut in for Kakashi, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. Naruto winced, because the action was very Sasuke-like.

"I was fine. I just—"

"Don't. Lie." Both turned to Kakashi, stunned, his voice dripping venom as he glared at Naruto with his one brown eye, and one red one. The blond winced again, but for a whole different reason.

"It's nothing, okay? I'm fine."

"Naruto." The blond let out a sigh at the warning tone.

"All right, fine!" Naruto rounded on Kakashi. "You want the truth, I'll tell you the truth! I—" Naruto's words froze in his throat, an image of Sasori holding up pictures flashing through his mind. He _couldn't_ tell them the truth. So, he would have to lie.

"You what?" Kakashi pressed, narrowing his eyes, as if daring Naruto to tell a lie.

The blond let out a sigh, getting into his expert-lie mode. It was the same mode he went into when he got beat up and had to lie about it to his grandmother. He stared Kakashi straight in the eye, his face devoid of emotion.

"Fine, yes, I _was_ crying last night. And I _didn't _need to run errands, it was just an excuse to get out of the house."

"Why?" Kakashi asked with a frown.

Naruto grit his teeth, both for effect, and because he hated having to lie. "Because—I couldn't stand to be around Sasuke."

The raven's head snapped back as if he'd been slapped, and his arms fell to his sides. Kakashi cast a glance at him and noticed hurt flashing across his face. He'd bowed his head, his bangs covering his eyes as he stared at the floor. Kakashi knew the old Sasuke _never_ would've shown this much emotion.

"I don't mean it like that!" Naruto blurted out as he felt the aura of rejection coming from Sasuke. "You're still my best friend, and you mean the world to me! I just—it's hard, you know?" Naruto sank down onto his bed, running his hand through his wet blond hair. "It's hard being around someone you know so well, and not have them remember you. I just—I needed some time to myself. I wasn't really given time earlier. I found out, and then you came here." He stood up again and walked slowly towards Sasuke. "It doesn't mean I don't want you here. I do, I really, _really_ do. I missed you—so much." Naruto felt his throat constricting and he forced himself not to cry. "I missed you. Don't think I hate you, cause I don't."

"I know." Sasuke whispered, still avoiding Naruto's gaze. "I understand how you feel, and I'm sorry I don't remember you. I'm sorry that—our friendship is something only you can look back on. But..." he trailed off and then looked up at Naruto. "Maybe we can start a new friendship? I'll be different, and our relationship will probably be a little different, too, but I don't mind that if you don't. You were obviously important to me, and I want to keep you in my life, if you'll let me."

Naruto grinned before lightly punching Sasuke in the shoulder. "You're stuck with me, bastard."

Sasuke's head snapped back. "Bastard?"

"Don't take it personally." He looked past Naruto at Kakashi. "You called him dumbass, moron, idiot and loser. In return, he called you asshole and bastard. He doesn't mean it."

"Good to know." Sasuke said.

"I'm glad that's cleared up, Naruto, but you're still missing one crucial detail." The blond turned back to Kakashi. "The bruises."

"Okay." Naruto said with a sigh. "I didn't want to tell you about them because I knew you'd worry, but since I have no choice..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "A bunch of guys tried to steal my car. One of them got me in the head, and I almost passed out, but managed to stay conscious. As I tried to get back into my car, one of them started to slam the door, wedging my head between the door and the car. It's how I got these." Naruto motioned the bruises along his jaw.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, seriously." Naruto turned to him with a grin. "The guy who slammed the door was terrified he'd killed me. I don't think they wanted to hurt me, they just wanted my car. I used his panic to my advantage and pulled him out of the car while his friend in the driver's seat got out to get me away from him. I crawled in through the passenger door and slammed the door, locking it. I then got the driver's door closed before they could run around the car and peeled out of there."

"What did they look like?" Kakashi inquired.

"Why?"

"So we can have Keita arrest them. You know, your cop friend?"

"It was dark." Naruto told him, always amazed with how fast the lies came when he was on a roll. "I couldn't tell. One of them was wearing a baseball hat with the Senators logo on it, so I'm assuming they're hockey fans. Other than that, couldn't tell you." He shrugged. "Now that you've embarrassed me, made me feel bad, and forced the truth out of me, can I change?"

"Sure." Kakashi smirked as he got to his feet, pulling his crutches under his arms. "Just looking out for you while Tsunade and Jiraiya are busy."

"I can take care of myself." Naruto insisted.

"I beg to differ." Kakashi smirked as he hobbled out of the room. Sasuke cast one last glance at Naruto before following, closing the broken door behind himself.

"Is he still naked?!" Naruto heard Genma call from downstairs before he let out a cry. Raidou had probably hit him.

Naruto let out a slow breath as he entered his bathroom and closed the door, leaning back against it before sinking to the ground. He buried his hands in his hair as the events of the night before came flooding back.

"_Suck me off. And like it."_

Naruto buried his face in his hands and held back tears he so desperately wanted to cry.

* * *

"So, these people tonight—they're friends?" Sasuke asked as he wrung his hands together, watching Naruto move around his kitchen and pulling various things out of the cupboards.

"Yup. I've invited everyone we were close friends with. Hopefully, they'll jog your memory a little bit."

Naruto had wanted Sasuke to remember at least _one_ thing, and nothing had jogged his memory so far. Even Genma and Raidou had failed to make him remember anything, and considering this was _Genma_, Naruto found the situation very serious. He just hoped Sasuke remembered _something_.

The phone rang and Naruto started to rush out of the kitchen to answer it, when Sasuke grabbed his arm.

"I'll get it."

"No, it's okay, I—"

"I'll get it." Sasuke repeated, a note of finality in his voice. Naruto's heart took up residence in his throat, but he nodded nevertheless, heading back towards the stove slowly as Sasuke left the kitchen. Naruto cursed not having changed the batteries yet. He had to stop putting it off, but he couldn't change them until he bought new ones._ No point, we'll be moving out in three days to head down to Gage, anyway,_ the blond thought as he heard Sasuke answer the phone.

"Hello?" There was a pause. "Yes, Naruto is here, may I ask who's calling?" Sasuke was walking towards the kitchen with the phone as Naruto's heart sped up. "Sure, one moment." Sasuke entered the kitchen and held the cordless phone out to Naruto. "I only caught the name 'Sannin'. Hope it means something to you."

Naruto's hand shook as he reached for the phone, almost dropping it once Sasuke let it go, but he managed to hold on. He glanced at Sasuke, the other boy staring at the blond's shaking hand, and then turned away, putting the phone to his ear.

"H-hello?"

"Can't even pick up the phone to call and tell me Sasuke is awake?!" Naruto held the phone away from his ear, wincing.

"Dammit, old hag, you didn't have to yell!" Naruto hollered into the phone at Tsunade Sannin, his fear completely forgotten.

"I damn well _can_ yell, and I damn well _will_!" the president of UBC snapped angrily. "Why did _Kakashi_ have to be the one to tell me the good news?! I'd have _much_ rather heard it from _you_, brat!"

"I know. I'm sorry." Naruto sighed as he stirred something on the stove. "I didn't really have time to do too many things last night."

"I heard about the carjacking. Are you okay?" Naruto winced at the concern for a lie.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My car's fine, too." He forced a laugh, trying to be funny. When he was funny, she believed he was all right.

"Good. I'm glad. You ever see those guys again, you tell Keita, you hear?"

"Yes _mother_." Naruto teased.

"Smartass." The blond woman sniffed. "Anyway, other than calling to yell at you for the fact that Sasuke's awake and you didn't tell me, I'm also calling to tell you about your arrangement for move-in day. I've put Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru and Chouji in Gage, North Tower, on the third floor. I put Gaara, Kankurou, Neji and Lee on the second floor. You and Sasuke will have the entire fourth floor to yourselves, unless you want to add someone."

"No, I'm fine with the arrangement as it is." Naruto said. "Hey, did you get my message? The one about the girls?"

"Yes, I did." Tsunade replied. "I can't get Tenten, Sakura, Ino and Hinata in North Tower, but I can put them in West Tower, if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. I want everyone close to Sasuke as much as possible. Fairview (1) isn't too far, but it's still not as close, you know?"

"Sure, brat. I'll let them know. Take care, and—have fun with Sasuke." Naruto almost dropped the pan he was holding.

"Tsunade!" he hollered, looking over his shoulder at Sasuke. The other boy cocked an eyebrow, which caused Naruto to blush and turn away. "He has amnesia."

"I know. Doesn't mean you can't have fun." Tsunade hung up before Naruto could think of a retort. He hung up as well, grumbling about Jiraiya influencing his sister.

"Who was that?" Sasuke inquired as Naruto poured the sauce he had in the pan in his hand over some nachos.

"It was Tsunade. She's the president of UBC, and was best friends with my grandmother. She's pretty much my guardian, now."

"Yeah, I meant to ask you about that." Sasuke said with a frown. Naruto's stomach clenched, because he knew what was coming. "How come you live alone?"

"That's a story for another time." Naruto and Sasuke jumped a mile high, and Sasuke even let out a small scream as he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

"Did you just come in here without knocking?!" Naruto hollered, pointing his finger at the intruder. The boy pondered this for a bit before nodding.

"Yeah, actually." He then rushed across the room and hit Naruto across the back of the head.

"Ow! Dammit, Kiba! When are you going to _stop doing that_?!" Naruto hollered.

"I won't." Kiba grinned.

"Kiba, you're so rude!" Sasuke turned back to the door as a blonde girl entered the kitchen. "Coming in here without knocking or anything!"

"Well, how did _you_ come in, then?" Kiba teased with a smirk.

"I was trying to be polite, and stop you before Naruto saw you." Ino crossed her arms and looked away—her eyes falling on Sasuke. "Sasuke!" she shrieked as she launched herself at the Uchiha, the latter's eyes widening in shock and horror.

"Get off me!" He leapt to his feet, effectively getting out of Ino's grip. "I know you're excited, but I don't know you people! I don't want anyone else jumping on me!"

Just as he finished his speech, there was another "Sasuke!" before he found his arms full of Sakura.

"Let me go!" He shoved her away, backing himself into a corner.

"Guys, can you go wait in the living room, please?" Naruto said as he wiped his hands on a rag and made his way to Sasuke.

"What did I do?" Sakura asked in a whisper as Kiba led the two girls out of the kitchen, closing the door.

Naruto walked up to Sasuke, the raven crouched in the corner with his hands buried in his hair. Naruto crouched down in front of him, trying to catch his eye.

"You okay?" Sasuke shook his head.

"I don't want people I don't know touching me." Sasuke whispered, looking up at Naruto. "Is that wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong." Naruto insisted with a gentle smile. "I can understand. It's just hard for them—for me. We know you don't remember us, but we also know that we remember you, so we forget that we might scare you with how personal we are."

"I'm sorry."

"About what?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"That I don't remember you."

"Forget it." Naruto waved his hand at Sasuke. "If I weren't me, I'd want to forget me, too." he teased. Sasuke smiled.

Naruto stood up and held his hand out to Sasuke. The raven stared at it before taking it, letting the blond help him to his feet. Naruto gave him a friendly pat on the back before heading for the kitchen door and opening it.

"Hey, guys. Look who's back." Naruto turned and smiled warmly at Sasuke. Taking a deep breath, the raven headed for the door, entering the living room that held the friends he couldn't remember.

* * *

(1) Another residence, very similar to Gage.

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	4. Mr Penis

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer - :Hurriedly grabbing all of K. Masashi's sketches for the next chapters before turning: ... Nothing to see here... :bolts:**

* * *

Naruto walked into the doorway of Sasuke's new room in Gage tower two, his hands in his pockets. He leaned against the doorframe as he watched Sasuke unpack, stopping every once in a while to stare at something. 

The three days Sasuke had spent with Naruto were a bust. He didn't remember anything. Naruto also didn't get any more calls from the Akatsuki, but he wasn't breathing easily just yet. He knew they would call. That, and Naruto had Orochimaru the next day. He wasn't looking forward to it.

"Anything shaking any screws?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke jumped, startled, and turned to look at Naruto. "No." He looked back at his stuff. "Nothing."

"It'll come back." Naruto reassured as he turned to leave. He spun back around as he heard something smash, realizing Sasuke had thrown a picture frame against the wall.

"This _fucking_ sucks!" he hollered angrily.

"Sasuke, calm down. It'll be okay." Naruto insisted as he took a step into the room. He was rewarded by another picture frame being hurled at his head. He ducked it.

"Don't _fucking_ tell me it'll be okay!" Sasuke yelled. "You don't know what it's _fucking_ like! I don't remember anything! Not my parents, not Kakashi, not you, not _anything_! Don't act like you know how it _fucking_ feels, cause you _don't_!"

"You're not the only one it's hard on." Naruto whispered.

As quickly as it had come, Sasuke's anger faded. The raven stared at Naruto, panting, his hands clenched. He shook his head, looking down at the carpet beneath him.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Naruto insisted. "You're right, I _don't_ know what it's like, but you have to remember we're all here for you. We're trying to help you. That's why Genma and Raidou came by. That's why I invited Kiba and Gaara and the girls and everyone. I wanted to try and make something click. Shizune said it'll come, but it'll take time."

"How much time?" the raven whispered. "It's been five days, and I don't remember anything."

"It's not an overnight thing." Naruto sighed as he leaned his back against the doorframe, his hands still in his pockets. "It'll take time and come slowly, but just try your best to think of anything and everything. And if you dream of something, talk to someone who was in the dream to see if it was actually a memory. Don't disregard anything."

"Okay." Sasuke whispered. "But I've had some pretty fucked up dreams."

"Yeah, well, if any of them involved us fighting or pulling pranks on each other, it wasn't a dream." Sasuke looked up with a frown, Naruto scratching the back of his head with a laugh. "We hated each other when we first roomed together. We were roommates down at Place Vanier. It's another type of dorm down University Boulevard." Naruto motioned in its general direction. "I don't even remember how it started, but we just got off on the wrong foot. We each wanted our own room, so we pulled pranks on each other to get the other to move out. Eventually, certain circumstances on both our parts led to our friendship."

"Like what?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"I'd rather you remember that for yourself." He smiled. "I can't give you everything, or else I'm telling you about your life instead of you remembering it."

"True." Sasuke sighed as he looked around his room. "You're in all my classes, right?"

"Yeah." Naruto crossed his arms. "Tsunade is letting me sit in on all of them. I'm not actually a registered student, so I won't have to take any exams or do any of the work. We both know almost all the professors you're going to have, anyway."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they're all friends with Kakashi. You introduced me to them."

"Sounds like we went a long way last year for two people who hated each other." Sasuke smiled.

Naruto winced at this. _You have no idea, Sasuke. _

"Anyway, I'm gonna go shower." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "All this moving made me sweaty."

"Sure." Sasuke nodded. "I'll—clean up the mess I made."

"There's a broom in the kitchen." the blond offered as he turned around and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. He stripped and threw all his things in the hamper he'd put in the bathroom, already having told Sasuke they could share it and do their laundry together to save money. Not that Naruto needed to save money, he just thought he'd be considerate.

The blond got into the shower and turned on the water, closing his eyes and letting out a slow sigh as the hot water ran down his skin, soothing his tired and sore muscles. He was having a bad year, and school hadn't even started yet.

"_Suck me off. And like it."_

The blond's eyes opened slowly as the words echoed in his head. He'd heard them at least four times a day since that night, and he was beginning to tire of them. Every time he heard them, he felt a little piece of himself die, knowing he had done something he'd never wanted to in order to protect those he loved.

_Fuck, getting shot in the chest for Sasuke was better than this bullshit,_ the blond thought as he leaned his forehead against the wall, the water running down his back. _Is he the only one who'll want it, or will the others start asking, too? And what if it escalates to more than that? What if— _Naruto forced himself to cut the thought off. He didn't want to think about it.

"Fuck." he whispered, grinding his forehead into the wall. "Fuck!"

His head snapped towards the bathroom door as he heard the door to their suite open and close. _Did Sasuke just leave?_ Naruto thought with a frown. Then, his eyes widened. _Or did someone just come **in**?!_

Turning the water off, Naruto jumped out of the shower, reaching for a towel. His fingers met nothing and he looked at the towel rack before cursing. He'd forgotten to put a towel in the bathroom.

Not even thinking about the clothes in the hamper, Naruto threw open the bathroom door and walked down the corridor. As he turned the corner to head to his room and find a towel, he let out a startled cry as he covered his crotch with both hands. This was turning into a reoccurring event, and he didn't like it. If it had been Sasuke, he wouldn't have minded so much, but the boy standing in front of him was _not _Sasuke.

The black-haired boy stared at Naruto with a cocked eyebrow, his eyes having travelled down to Naruto's crotch before he'd had time to cover it. Now that his goods were out of sight, the boy's eyes moved back up to meet the stunned blond's blue ones.

"Nice penis."

"Who the fuck are you?!" Naruto hollered, his cheeks bright red. "How the fuck did you get in here?"

"What's going on?" Sasuke appeared in his doorway, and then turned away when he noticed Naruto was naked again. He didn't know why, but seeing the blond naked always made his heart beat faster.

"I'm your suitemate."

"Nice try, jackass!" Naruto hollered, desperately wishing he had a towel. "We're the only two in this suite! I know the president personally, and she ensured it!"

"Then maybe you should check your cell phone, _Naruto_." The boy smirked.

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, noting the shocked look on his face. Upon hearing the blond's name, Sasuke had assumed Naruto and this person were acquainted, but the look of shock and horror on Naruto's face suggested otherwise.

"How do you know my name?" the blond choked out, fear rising in his throat. If this was an affiliate of Akatsuki, he was going to throw himself out the window, naked or not.

"Aunt Tsunade told me."

Naruto blinked. "Aunt... Tsunade?"

"Check your phone." He smirked. "And put some clothes on. Unless you want to keep walking around naked, that's entirely up to you."

Naruto shoved past the boy in front of him, entering his room and slamming the door. The boy just grinned before looking around, his eyes settling on Sasuke. The raven glared at him, but the other boy didn't seem too concerned. Sasuke himself didn't understand why, but he really liked being alone with Naruto. This boy was making that impossible, now.

"You must be the kid with amnesia. Sasuke, right?" He held his hand out to him, but Sasuke took a step back, fists balled at his sides.

"Who are you?" he demanded coldly.

"I'm Sai. Sai Baikan." he said with a smile. "Sorry I scared your roommate."

"I thought we were to be alone." Sasuke said, sounding a lot harsher than he'd initially meant to. _No, don't feel bad, _Sasuke's inner voice insisted. _You wanted to be alone with someone who's supposed to be your best friend. He's familiar and he knows your condition, he'll understand your mood-swings. **Who **the **fuck** is **this guy**?!_

"Yeah, aunt Tsunade got me in. This was the only place left." Sai shrugged as he looked around, dropping his bag on the floor. "Neat place. Good eye-candy, too." Sai arched his back slightly as he peered in the direction of Naruto's room. He couldn't see the blond, since Naruto had closed his door, but he'd gotten a good enough look. He grinned to himself before turning back to Sasuke.

"He yours?" The Uchiha narrowed his eyes. "Right, you wouldn't know. Do you at least know if you're gay?" Again, no response. "Do you remember anything?"

Just then, Naruto's door opened and he stormed angrily into the corridor, wearing jeans and an orange hoodie. "It's legit." he bit out at Sasuke. "He's a distant relative. Tsunade's step-sister's daughter's son."

"Told you." He grinned. "I'm Sai."

"And I don't care." Naruto bit out. "We were supposed to be alone."

"I know. So you could get his memory back." Sai motioned Sasuke. "It's not _my _fault everywhere else was full. Aunt Tsunade asked if I'd want to stay here, and after seeing your picture, of course, I said yes." He smiled at Naruto.

"What the fuck does that mean?!" Naruto hollered.

"I think he's gay." Both boys turned to Sasuke, the raven having crossed his arms, glaring angrily at Sai. "He called you good eye-candy."

"I'm sorry you're not my type. You jealous?" Sai grinned. "Show me how big your penis is, and I might change my mind."

"Jesus _Christ_!" Naruto hollered. "Fuck!" The blond ripped at his hair angrily. "The whole fucking _world_ is out to get me!"

"Now, now. Act like a man." Sai insisted with a smile. "Just because you almost got your car stolen doesn't make the whole world against you."

Naruto punched Sai across the face, startling both Sai _and_ Sasuke. The newcomer looked back at Naruto, somewhat stunned, one hand clutching at his wounded cheek. Naruto was breathing hard, his fists clenched at his sides.

"You don't know _anything_ about me." he said in a deadly whisper, shaking with rage. "You have no _idea _what happened to me, and I don't feel like going into it. I suggest you avoid me as much as humanly possible or you _will_ regret it."

With that, Naruto stormed to the door. "Sasuke, come on, we're going to see Kiba."

The raven cast one final glance at Sai, glaring at him, and then followed Naruto out of the suite, headed downstairs to see the dog-lover.

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" Naruto sighed as he rubbed his face. 

"No, I'm serious, fuck!" Kiba jumped over the back of the couch and landed beside Naruto, receiving a disapproving scowl from Shino because he had his shoes on the sofa. "It's the newest thing."

"Explain this again." Sasuke requested, a frown on his face.

"It's a game called 'the game'. The point of this game is not to _think_ of the game. If you think about the game, you lose. So, you tell everyone around you 'I lost' and then they all lose with you."

"That's a retarded game." Naruto commented.

"But it's _hilarious_, fuck." Kiba insisted.

"Kiba's screwed it up, though." Shikamaru said from the floor. He was lying on his back, both hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "He's added little ways where we lose automatically because we can't help but think about it."

"How so?" Sasuke asked with a frown. He still didn't entirely understand the concept of this so-called 'game'.

"Well, for example, the other day at dinner, Kiba kept talking about broccoli, and we all lost for no reason, so now every time we even _say_ broccoli, one of us loses."

"I just lost." Shino put his hand up.

"We _all_ lost." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "We're talking about the damn game, so we're obviously going to be losing."

"This is true." Kiba grinned. "We also lose if we say something perverted or anything we say can be taken in a perverted context. So if, for example, Sasuke says 'hurry up, Naruto' and you say 'I'm coming'—"

"I lost." Shino, Chouji and Shikamaru all sighed. Kiba grinned.

"You lose."

"This game seems a little tedious and pointless." Naruto groaned.

"That, my friend," Kiba wrapped one arm around Naruto's shoulder, smirking at him, "is the point." (1)

* * *

_"Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it!..."_

Naruto rolled over in bed with a groan as his hand reached out and searched his night-side table. He opened his eyes blearily to check the time and cursed the fact that it was almost four in the morning.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, his voice gravely from sleep. His hand finally closed around his phone and he pulled it to himself, flipping it open and putting it to his ear. "This better be fucking important, whoever the fuck this is. I have classes tomorrow."

"It's important." Naruto sat bolt upright in bed, his eyes wide. He was completely awake, now.

"What do you want?" he asked as his throat constricted.

"I'm calling about your first job." Deidara stated from the other end. "We have to book you in advance to make sure you don't make plans and cancel them. It'll be suspicious. The date is next Saturday. Drive out to West Fourteenth at midnight." Naruto looked at his watch. Today was Wednesday. He had ten days to try and get out of it. "You'll be working with Sasori and Orochimaru. The Sannin has asked you accompany him to every job." Naruto's stomach turned over.

"Fine. Is that all?"

"No, actually, it's not. I thought you weren't meant to have another suite-mate."

Naruto's eyes widened and he scrambled from the bed, throwing open his door. His eyes searched the dark corridor, but he saw nothing. He ran to Sasuke's room, the phone in his hand, but not at his ear. He opened the door and looked inside. The raven was fast asleep. Naruto closed his door, then turned and went to Sai's room. The other boy was asleep, as well. That meant whoever had come into their suite had done so while Naruto had also still been asleep.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto put the phone back to his ear. "I get it. You know everything, and you've got me backed into a corner."

"I'm just keeping you in line." Deidara said, a smirk evident in his voice. "Also trying to dissuade you from not going. Orochimaru will meet you in the parking lot. You'll drive up together. Don't forget."

The line went dead.

* * *

Sai prodded Naruto's sleeping form in the shoulder, cocking his head to one side as he examined all the scars on his back. The blond was completely passed out on his bed, and Sai knew Naruto had a class in about half an hour. So, he prodded his shoulder again.

All he got for his efforts was a groan, and the blond rolled over onto his back. Sai examined his chest, noting the scars that littered it. When Tsunade had told him Naruto was really scarred, Sai had thought she was over-exaggerating because all he'd seen were the six scars on his face in the picture. The day before, he'd realized she was _not_ over-exaggerating, but he'd been more preoccupied with—_other_ parts of the blond's anatomy to focus on his scars.

Now, nothing was distracting him, so he stared. Some of the scars were small, but there were three that were particularly big and suggested bullet wounds. Tsunade wouldn't go into detail, so now, it was up to him to figure out what happened.

"Hey, Naruto." Sai said, prodding Naruto's shoulder again. The blond moaned. "Time to wake up. You've got classes." Naruto moaned again. Sai smirked. "Didn't know my voice was so appealing to you."

"What the fuck are you doing?" Naruto bolted up in bed as Sai turned to the door, both looking at Sasuke.

Naruto then looked at who'd been poking him in the shoulder, because he'd assumed it was Sasuke. With a cry, the blond rolled backwards off the bed upon seeing Sai, landing ungracefully on his ass.

"Fuck!" The blond rubbed his bruised tailbone. "I locked my door!"

"I picked it." Sai smiled. "You'll be late for your classes."

Naruto glanced at his clock and let out a grunt as he noticed he had half an hour before Math. He was taking that particular course with Sasuke this year. It was weird that Naruto would always be with the raven, even in classes he himself wasn't taking.

"Are you getting up, now?" Sai asked with a smile.

"Can you get out of my room, please?" Naruto bit out.

"But you look so cute and ruffled in the morning. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a girl." Sai ducked as Naruto's alarm clock was thrown at his head.

"Get out!"

"Grouchy in the morning, aren't you?" Sai smirked. "I could get used to it, if you wanted me to."

"_Get out!"_

Sai finally turned and left the room, brushing past Sasuke. The Uchiha watched him walk by before turning to look back at Naruto. The blond was on his feet, wincing and rubbing his back.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." he sighed, shaking his head. "Just thinking about the full-as-all-hell day I have." Sasuke winced, knowing it was his fault.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Naruto turned and stretched as he grabbed a pair of jeans off the floor. He pulled them on before grabbing a shirt from his closet and yanking it over his head. "No time for a shower, now." he mumbled under his breath as he looked around the room, locating his keys, phone and wallet.

"Are you going to have time to eat lunch?" Sasuke asked as he moved out of the way so Naruto could leave the room.

"No, I'll have to bring something."

"Gaara's meeting me after English for Chemistry, right? You have Anatomy at that time?"

"Yeah, he talked to me about it last night. Oh, while I think about it, Kiba's meeting us at the Chem building at three, too. I have a—" Naruto's voice caught in his throat and he forced it out again. "I have a two-hour class, so I can't bring you back here."

"That's okay." Sasuke said with a shrug as he sat down at the kitchen table, Naruto looking through the cupboards for food.

"We're going to have to buy more food. Especially if Mr. Penis over there eats our stuff." Naruto jerked his head in the direction of Sai's room.

"Sure."

"I'll meet up with you at your various buildings if we're separated." Naruto said as he opened the fridge. "I don't think we have anything different other than you having Chem while I'm in Anatomy, but just in case I'm forgetting something. Just stay in front of the building, and I'll find you."

"Okay."

Sai's door opened and he walked into the kitchen, smiling brightly. "So, when are we leaving, guys?" Sasuke and Naruto turned to him, cocking an eyebrow. "Heading out for class."

"How should we know?" Naruto demanded.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? We have all the same courses. I had aunt Tsunade check your courses online."

Naruto slammed his head against the freezer.

* * *

"Was I in this class last year, too?" Sasuke asked as he looked around.

"No, you took French, instead. But, you have to take a Math course for Sciences, and since I need another term of it, I figured you might as well take the course now." Naruto shrugged.

"Do you even know how to add?" Sai shot in, leaning closer to Naruto in order to talk to Sasuke. The blond shifted away, a look of murder on his face. "I mean, if you forgot everything, does that mean you forgot the basics? Like, how to read, how to write, stuff like that?"

"No." Sasuke replied coldly.

"Excuse me." They all turned and Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he saw Gaara, the redhead glaring daggers at Sai, with Neji right behind him. _Thank God for small miracles. I'm so glad all of us shared timetables so we could have classes together,_ Naruto thought as he smiled at the other two boys.

"Hi, guys." Sai said with a smile of his own. "Can I help you?"

"You're in my seat." Gaara replied coldly.

"I don't recall seeing your name on it."

"Get out of my seat, now."

"You don't want to anger him." Neji said, moving forward. "You should just vacate the seat. Move one row back."

"Maybe I will." Sai smiled. "Only because I have better access."

"Better... access?" Naruto asked, confused, as Sai moved behind him and Gaara sat down in the newly vacated seat, Neji sitting beside him.

Naruto jumped a mile high as he felt warm breath on the back of his neck and he jerked around in his seat, his lips inches away from Sai's. With a cry, he fell backwards, falling completely out of his seat and landing, once again, on his tailbone.

"Jesus _Christ_!" Naruto hollered as Sasuke held his hand out to the blond to help him stand. "Will you just _leave me alone_!"

"Not after seeing your penis." Sai smirked, leaning forward and resting his chin on his folded hands.

Gaara and Neji stared at Naruto with what he would have to assume was shock, since neither boy really showed their emotions. The blond blushed as he took Sasuke's hand, allowing his best friend to help him stand up again.

"Long story." he mumbled.

"I lost." Neji said to Gaara.

"Thanks." Gaara replied sarcastically.

"Does this mean Naruto and I lost, too?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"Yes."

"Hey, you guys are playing, too?" Naruto asked, confused, as he stood in front of his seat.

"Yes, unfortunately." Neji shook his head. "Kiba explained the rules to me, and even though I didn't want to play, it just pops into my head of its own accord."

"Damn. I don't want to play that game, it seems pointless." Naruto sighed as he sat down, only to remember Sai was behind him, and jerk out of his seat. "I'm not sitting there!"

The blond then let out a yelp as he was hit across the back of the head with a book, turning to see who the culprit was.

"Sit down, brat."

"But _Ibiki_..." Naruto whined.

"Sit." Naruto pouted and sat back down, ensuring he leaned forward to keep himself as far away from Sai as possible.

Ibiki stood in front of Sasuke, the raven feeling very intimidated by the scarred man, black eyes boring into Sasuke's own. "Hi, Sasuke. From what I hear, you don't remember anything. My name is Ibiki Morino, and I've known you almost as long as Genma and Raidou. I just thought you should know you can come to me if you ever need to."

"Thanks." Sasuke nodded, feeling uncomfortable that he was suddenly the centre of attention.

Ibiki moved away from him, dropping his bag onto the desk at the front of the room before turning to the class.

"Listen up, cause I'll only say this once." Naruto whispered to Sasuke. The raven turned to look at him, waiting to hear what he had to say, but then, Ibiki spoke.

"Listen up, cause I'll only say this once."

"My name is Ibiki Morino, and I've been teaching this course for twenty years." Naruto whispered again, a smirk on his lips as he watched Ibiki to ensure the professor didn't catch him.

"My name is Ibiki Morino, and I've been teaching this course for twenty years." Sasuke smirked as Naruto whispered the next part.

"Longer than half of you have been alive, by the looks of it."

"Longer than half of you have been alive, by the looks of it."

"Same speech?" Sasuke asked Naruto, smirking.

"Every term." The blond grinned back. "Makes you wonder how long he's _really_ been working here, cause he always says 'twenty years'."

* * *

"What's next?" Sasuke asked as Ibiki dismissed them.

"English." Gaara said as he stood up.

"With Kakashi. Be ready to see the _true_ Kakashi."

"Is he gay?" Neji, Gaara, Sasuke and Naruto turned to look at Sai, all of them having forgotten he was there—and following them. "If he's gay, he can give me pointers on how best to bang you." Sai smiled at Naruto.

"Will you cut it out!" Naruto exploded. "Why are you so perverted?! How could Tsunade shove me in a suite with _you_?!"

The blond accidentally walked into someone as they were leaving the building, and turned to apologize. "Oh, sor—" His voice died in his throat as he stared at the man before him. It was Tobi, from the Akatsuki.

"No problem." He smirked at Naruto before walking into the building. The blond's hands were shaking as he continued walking, Neji glaring at Tobi because he'd seen him get in Naruto's way.

_Why are they doing this?_ Naruto thought, forcing tears back. _Do they want me to realize they're in control? I fucking **know** they're in control!_

"You okay?" Gaara asked, noting the way Naruto's hands were shaking.

"I'm fine, let's get to English." He sped up, the others speeding up as well to catch up. When they got to the class, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm to hold him back, Gaara and Sai entering, Neji having broken off from the group earlier to head to Health and Nutrition.

"What's up with you? Are you okay?" he asked Naruto, concerned.

"What?" Naruto asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm concerned." Sasuke insisted. "You keep suddenly hyperventilating, or turning white, or shaking. That guy bumped into you, and you were fine until you turned around and saw who he was. Was he one of the guys who tried to steal your car?"

"No!" Naruto blurted out, shaking his head. "No, it's nothing like that! I—"

"Was he one of the guys who beat you up?!" Sasuke jumped a mile high as Kiba appeared behind him, balling his fists angrily. "Do I have to beat the shit out of some snot-nosed punk?!"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed. "No, it's not that! I was just—surprised! Kiba, Sasuke, it's okay."

"Why would someone beat Naruto up?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"For the same reason he has no parents, but I don't think now's a good time." Kiba said. "We should head inside. You." He pointed at Naruto. "We're talking later. I won't be lied to _again_."

"I'm not lying!" Naruto insisted. "This guy's never done anything to me!" _And I can be honest about it, because he hasn't—yet,_ the blond thought.

"Hey, party in the hallway." Sakura grinned as she poked her head out of the classroom. "Come on in, guys. We want to be included."

Kiba shot a glare at Naruto before turning and walking into the classroom. Sasuke followed him, glancing over his shoulder at Naruto. The blond sighed, shaking his head. Sometimes, it was hard having people care about him. He still wasn't used to it, and Kiba could get very—violent when he got angry.

Naruto walked into the room and noticed Gaara and Sasuke were both glaring at Sai, the other boy sitting behind an empty seat between Kiba and Sasuke, obviously meant for Naruto. _Great, _the blond thought with a sigh. _Not only is **Akatsuki** looking to get some from me, one of my **roommates** wants some from me, too. Fantastic._

"Hey, guys." Naruto called to the usual group in the English class.

Kakashi had chosen the same people as last year, having also let Gaara in because Naruto had begged him. Sai was an order by Tsunade, and Kakashi began to wonder if maybe Sai wasn't around to look out for Naruto. After all, he was in all the same classes as him.

Naruto himself was going to ask the silver-haired man why he let Sai in the second he arrived. But, Kakashi being Kakashi, he wouldn't get there for a while yet.

Naruto took his seat between Kiba and Sasuke, leaning forward again so he wasn't anywhere _near_ Sai. The more he thought about it, the more Naruto suspected Sai might be part of Akatsuki. After all, Tsunade didn't know her own _brother_ was part of this group of murderers. There was no reason she would know if Sai was. _God, I hope not. I've got enough on my plate._

"How come everyone in this class is someone I know?" Sasuke inquired, turning to Naruto.

"Kakashi set it up like that. Not just because you know them, but also because we were all together last year, and he really liked us. Well, except Gaara. We asked for him to join us this year."

"Gotta love raccoon-eyes." Kiba patted the redhead on the back, who was sitting next to him. Gaara turned to glare at him and Kiba's grin disappeared from his face, replaced with a look of worry as he turned away.

"How come you're not sitting with Hinata?" Naruto asked as he felt something crawling up his leg. He looked down and noticed Sai was running his foot up his calf. The blond moved his leg out of the way.

"She wanted to sit with Ino and Sakura." Kiba shrugged as Naruto pulled out his schedule to check it. "They became good friends over the summer. Besides, I see her all the time. I can give her some space, it's not the end of the world."

"Shit." Naruto whined as he looked at his schedule, leaning his head back. "Shit!"

"What?" Kiba asked, confused.

"I have Anatomy next with Genma."

"I don't have him, do I?" Sasuke asked worriedly. Naruto and Kiba laughed.

"No, you don't." The blond smirked. "You have _worse_."

* * *

Two hours later, and Naruto found himself outside of the Geology class with Sasuke. The raven and Gaara had been excused from Chemistry because their professor had missed his flight the day before and hadn't made it in time for the first day. They'd be meeting him on Friday. Then, the blond had met up with him and Gaara so they could go to Sociology and Sport, sitting with Neji. Naruto was glad Sai wasn't there, because he'd been in Anatomy with him. The other boy seemed to be in all the classes Naruto was registered in. Since Naruto was just sitting in when it came to Sociology and Sport, it wasn't actually on his schedule, so Sai didn't know he was there.

Sasuke hadn't remembered Asuma Sarutobi, either, but the other man had just laughed and patted his shoulder, saying it was okay and his memory would come back. Sasuke really wished people would stop saying that, because every time they did, he got worried that maybe it wouldn't.

And now, there they stood, inside Woodward at the door that led to the Geology class. Sasuke turned to Naruto as the blond tried to suppress a grin.

"So _why_ do I have it worse again? You have Genma. Who's worse?"

"Oh, you'll see." Naruto grinned at him, not bothering to try and suppress it anymore.

"He doesn't hate me, does he?" Sasuke asked with a wince.

Naruto couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. "Hate you? _Hate _you?! Oh my God!" He continued to laugh. "Oh, _God_, I think I broke a rib! (2) I'm _so_ telling Kakashi you said that! Hate you!" Naruto continued to laugh as he opened the door, looking inside. The professor wasn't there yet, but Lee was. He waved enthusiastically at Naruto, the blond telling him to save them seats. He wanted Sasuke to meet Gai outside so he wouldn't get embarrassed _too_ badly. This new Sasuke seemed kind of against being embarrassed.

"We have Raidou for our next class, right?" Sasuke inquired.

"Yeah, he's cool. Genma will run in randomly, though." Naruto grinned. "He's a pervert."

"Trust me, I know." Sasuke replied. "I don't need my memory back to figure _that_ out."

"Sasuke!" The raven froze as the booming voice made its way through his mind, shaking a few screws loose that he _really_ would've rather _not_ had shaken loose.

"Oh my God, Gai Maito."

"Yeah, that's h—wait a second! You remember him!"

"How can you forget someone who wears green and crushes you?!" Sasuke demanded as he looked around to locate where the voice had come from.

"Sasuke!" The raven was suddenly grabbed around the middle and lifted up from behind before he was swung violently from side to side. It took him a few seconds to realize it wasn't actually raining inside. It was Gai crying.

"Oh, wonderful youth! You have returned to us in all your youthful energy to fill our hearts with joy and laughter! My rival's son has returned to me to cherish our time together and embrace his love for Geology! I cannot believe you are finally awake and you come to my class as youthful and happy as ever! Although you may not remember me, I remember you, and just know that we have _always _spent the _best_ times together!"

"Gai, put me down." Sasuke interrupted the emotional man. "Now."

"Oho! You remember me! I must tell my rival!" Gai dropped Sasuke, the raven stumbling slightly before Naruto caught his arm and steadied him.

"Thanks." he muttered.

"No problem." Naruto said as he laughed.

"What?" Sasuke snapped.

"Nothing, it's just—" Naruto continued to laugh. "Of everything you could've remembered first, it was _Gai_!" The blond fell back against the wall in a fit of hysterical laughter. "Oh, this is too funny! I can't decide whether to be insulted, or just sit here and laugh!"

"Whatever." Sasuke grumbled before walking into the class and taking a seat beside Lee.

"Sa-Sasuke." Naruto chocked out, short of breath. "I'm sorry! I'm so, _so_ sorr..." He dissolved into another fit of laughter, clutching his sides in pain. "Oh, this is too rich! 'Oh my God, Gai Maito'! Priceless!" Naruto wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. "Oh, that's one for the kids."

_Um, you're gay, remember? If you and Sasuke get back together, there won't **be** any kids,_ Naruto reminded himself, shaking his head before standing up and following Sasuke into the classroom. This was going to be fun. And seeing as how he had Orochimaru soon, he was going to _need_ fun.

* * *

(1) Ladies and gentlemen, this is a real game. I would know, because I play it, along with most of my uni friends and my muse (not that she isn't a uni friend or anything, lol.) You should try it. It's annoying as all hell sometimes, but it's funny. Hey guys, I'm **_coming_** home soon. (Hah! You all SO lost!)

(2) I realize people may not get this. In my family, when someone says something that's not particularly funny, we say "Oh, aha, my ribs" in the sense that, "Oh, it's so funny, my ribs hurt" type of thing. Here, Naruto's saying it almost literally cause he's laughing so hard. Just thought I'd clarify.

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	5. Bad Days

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :Promptly knocks out K. Masashi when he states that I do **_**not**_** own Naruto: Anyone else have anything to say?. :smirks:**

**A/N: Man, I lost SO many times because of all your reviews about the game! lol. If you don't understand the game, don't worry about it. It's not terribly important, it's just a comic relief. If anyone ever says they lost, just assume it's because of something perverted being said. It's just for a little chuckle in between all the angst... cause there's lots of it... oh yes... **

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it really means a lot to me and encourages me to continue to update every day. Without your reviews, I would most definitely slack off. :smiles:**

* * *

Naruto stared at the door that led into his chemistry class, not wanting to go in, but at the same time, knowing he had no choice. Shakily, he put his hand on the handle and pushed the door open. The lecture hall was already bustling with people and he hurriedly made his way inside, rushing to the stairs so he could get to the back.

A hand on his shoulder stopped his ascent, and he turned to see Orochimaru smirking at him. "Hello, Naruto. Do sit in the front row."

The blond winced as the hand on his shoulder tightened and he obediently walked towards the front row, Orochimaru releasing his shoulder.

Naruto sat down in one of the seats and pulled out his book, rooting through his bag when someone plopped down behind him. He spun around, hoping it was Sai for two different reasons. His wishes were granted as the other boy smiled at him.

"Hi. Uncle Orochimaru's a pain, huh?"

"Can you do me a favour?" Naruto whispered. Sai frowned at the tone of voice.

"I guess."

"Sit beside me."

Sai's eyebrows shot up, but he shrugged and complied, climbing over the seat and plopping down beside the blond. "Why the change of heart?"

"I don't like Orochimaru." Naruto whispered.

"That makes two of us." Sai said with a smile. "Does he hate you as much as he hates me?" Naruto's eyebrows shot up.

"He hates you?"

"Hate actually isn't a strong enough word. He _despises_ me. Watch his face when he sees me." Sai grinned.

Naruto stared at him, wondering if it was all a trick. After all, the second reason he'd wanted Sai to sit with him was to see if Orochimaru and him were familiar with one another. Of course, he'd forgotten that he was somewhat related to the Sannin.

"What are _you_ doing in my class?" Both turned as Orochimaru hissed this at Sai. "And sitting beside Uzumaki?"

"Nice to see you, too, uncle."

"Don't call me that." the professor snapped. "I'm _not_ your uncle! Get out of my class!"

"Can't." Sai smirked. "Aunt Tsunade put me in here. Can't go against her wishes, it's dangerous to my health."

"I'll speak to her about this!" he snapped.

"Sure." Sai smiled. "Go on ahead."

"Sit at the back of the class." the Sannin ordered before turning away.

"Sorry, can't do that." Orochimaru turned back to Sai.

"What?"

"I can't do that. I'm sitting with my roommate." Sai wrapped one arm around Naruto, the blond tensing, but not pulling away. "We're in the same suite in Gage. He's good eye-candy, huh? And he's got a big penis."

Naruto didn't know whether to shoot himself, shoot Sai, or just break down and cry. Especially when he noticed the angered look on Orochimaru's face.

The Sannin looked at Naruto. "My office, after class."

"Didn't we already _have_ an appointment?" Naruto asked sweetly with a fake smile. Orochimaru snarled but turned away, heading for the front of the class.

"What was that all about?" Sai asked, confused.

"Nothing." Naruto muttered. "Welcome to my fucked up life." _Where my boyfriend doesn't remember me, and I'm a band of murderers' sex toy, _he added silently.

* * *

Naruto stood outside Orochimaru's door, already shaking. He didn't want to go in there. He really, _really_ didn't want to go in there. But he had no choice so, sucking up his pride, Naruto put his hand on the doorknob and pushed it open.

He'd never been in Orochimaru's office, and opening the door made him want to slam it right away. His office was dark, and carried a putrid smell that Naruto didn't want to try and identify. He had shelves full of jars containing various things Naruto couldn't even describe. One of them looked like a pig foetus, and he tried hard not to gag.

"Naruto. Come in."

_I'd rather stay outside,_ the blond thought, but he entered the room nevertheless, closing the door behind him. He was about to head towards the desk when Orochimaru motioned for him to lock the door. His stomach churning, Naruto obeyed. He then walked towards the desk and stood behind the chair, not wanting to sit down. It would suggest a lengthy stay, and he wasn't going to stay longer than he had to.

"You heard about our job?" the Sannin asked as he got to his feet, walking around his desk. Naruto flinched and resisted the urge to take a step back.

"Yeah, I heard. What's going to be happening?" Naruto inquired as the Sannin made his way behind the blond. Naruto flinched and his hand twitched to hit Orochimaru as the older man ran his fingers lightly along the front and side of Naruto's neck from behind.

"We'll be killing a man." Orochimaru said easily, as if he were talking about how much sugar he liked in his coffee. "We'll need your muscles for this job."

"All right." Naruto swallowed hard as he felt Orochimaru's breath on the back of his neck, the long fingers still stroking it. "Is that all?"

"No." he whispered in the blond's ear, sending shivers of disgust down his spine. "It's not." He nuzzled the bruise on Naruto's temple—the one he'd caused.

"So, what is this?" Naruto asked, gritting his teeth as Orochimaru's free hand encircled his waist, lifting his shirt slightly so he could stroke his stomach. "Because you couldn't get my dad, you'll suddenly settle for me?"

Naruto was wrenched around violently, and before he could bring his hands up to protect himself, he was hit across the face—hard—with a stapler. He didn't even know when Orochimaru had picked it up.

The blond crashed to the floor, stars exploding in front of his eyes, even though he'd been hit in the cheekbone. He also realized he was bleeding at the corner of his mouth, but before he could reach up and run the back of his hand along it, Orochimaru had grabbed his hair, yanking him viciously back to his feet. Even when Naruto was standing, he didn't relinquish his hold on the blond locks.

"You're just like your father." Orochimaru spat viciously. "You even look exactly like him. The two of you _knew_ you were good looking, and you used it to your advantage. I _hate_ people like you!"

Naruto was then pulled violently to his knees, and he knew what was coming. Instead of thinking about it, he just thought about Sasuke, and how today had been their first prank last year. He decided he would get him something. A kind of anniversary present. He wouldn't go to Physics. After all, Anko would just set off the fire alarm again.

* * *

"Do you think he's gay?" Sai asked Sasuke as he lay on the other boy's bed, Sasuke at his computer and trying—in vain—to ignore Sai. "I don't think he is. But if he's not, I'll have to find a way to convert him. I asked Aunt Tsunade, but she wouldn't tell me. Something about me minding my own business. But, seriously, with a penis like _that_, he's _got to_ be gay. Why let such a talent go to waste, right?"

"Can you please stop?" Sasuke turned around in his seat, having had enough. "I'm sick and tired of hearing you talk about his damn pe—" Sasuke cut off and blushed, not even able to say the word because he'd seen it himself. "His lower region."

"Come on, Sasuke. Say it. Say 'penis'."

"Fuck off." Sasuke snapped. "And why are you in my room?"

"'Cause this is where Naruto will come when he's done doing whatever it is he's doing, since he didn't go to Physics. I would know, since I was there." Sai said with a shrug. "And I want to see him. By staying here, my chances of seeing him increase."

"He doesn't like you." Sasuke insisted, turning back to his computer.

"You're wrong. He wanted me to sit with him in Chemistry."

Sasuke didn't know why, but hearing that made him incredibly angry.

Just then, the door opened and closed before hurried footsteps made their way to Naruto's room before his door slammed. Sai and Sasuke shared a look before the Uchiha stood up and made his way to the blond's room, Sai in tow. He listened for any signs of crying before knocking on the door.

"Don't come in." Naruto called.

"Why, are you naked?" Sai asked, eagerness clear in his voice. Sasuke shot him a glare, but Sai just shrugged.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke inquired.

"I'm fine, just don't come in."

Sasuke debated it for all of two seconds before moving aside and motioning the lock. Sai understood immediately and pulled something out of his back pocket. It took Sasuke a few seconds to realize it was a lock-picking kit. _Who the fuck __**is**__ this guy?_ the raven thought, shaking his head.

The door clicked open and Sasuke pushed past Sai and into the room before Naruto could even notice the door had opened. The blond was at his dresser, looking into the mirror at a bruise on his cheek. He spun around wide-eyed as the door swung open.

"What happened?" Sasuke demanded worriedly as he ran up to Naruto, noticing the bruises on his jaw had gotten more pronounced, too. He took Naruto's chin in his fingers and turned his head to better examine the bruise.

"Who did this?" Sasuke spun around, stunned at the venom in Sai's voice.

"No one." Naruto said, pulling away from Sasuke. "I fell."

"What about your jaw?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Someone slam your face in a door again?"

"No." Naruto insisted. "I probably bumped them again when I fell." The blond pushed past him and grabbed a plastic bag off his bed, handing it to Sasuke. "Here."

The raven was so startled by the abrupt change of topic that he didn't know what to say. So, he just took the bag in his hand and looked inside. He frowned before pulling out a small hat that looked like a walrus' head, (1) cocking an eyebrow at it.

"What is this?" Naruto took it from Sasuke's grip and plopped it on his head, giving the raven a grin.

"It's a sleeping cap. I bought it to commemorate our first prank."

"You're kidding, right?" Sasuke asked. "You expect me to _wear_ this?"

"It's only when you're sleeping." Naruto rolled his eyes. "No one will even see you!"

"Except me." Sai said with a smile. "And my camera. And anyone willing to pay five bucks."

"You'll find loads of people." Naruto offered.

"Forget the stupid hat." Sasuke wrenched it off his head, staring at Naruto, concerned. "What happened to you?"

"I _told_ you, I _fell_." Naruto rolled his eyes for emphasis. "I'm a clumsy son of a bitch."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, I'm _sorry_ you don't believe me." Naruto insisted with a sigh. "Look, can we please—not do this. I'm _fine_. I fell. I really don't need another Kiba, and certainly not _two_." He looked pointedly at Sai. "And since when are we on good enough terms for you to think I care about your concern?"

"Since you asked me to sit beside you in Chem."

And again, Sasuke felt that anger boiling in his chest. He stormed past Sai, shouldering him as he went by, and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Naruto called.

"To tell Kiba about your face."

"No!" Sasuke heard stumbling as Naruto struggled to catch up to him. "No! Please, I'll do _anything_! Don't tell Kiba! Sasuke!"

* * *

Sasuke ran down a long corridor, his breath coming in sharp gasps. He could see an open door in front of him, light shining out from the room. He ran towards it for all he was worth, but the door slowly began to close. By the time he reached it, it had shut, and he slammed into the wood, pounding on the door, begging to be let in.

The door remained closed, light shining out from underneath, as if taunting him. He'd been so close, and yet, so far.

With a strangled gasp, he spun around, watching as the shadows seemed to move and come towards him. He plastered himself against the door in fright, whimpering slightly as the first shadow reached him.

"No." he whispered. "No!"

The shadows pulled him away from the door. Away from the light.

* * *

Sasuke jerked up in bed before rolling to the side and emptying his stomach on the floor. He coughed slightly before heaving again, his room beginning to stink from the rancid stench. His heart was pounding in his head and his hands were shaking as they gripped the sheets like some kind of lifeline.

That had been the most disturbing dream of his life. It _had_ to have been a dream, there was no way what he had seen was real. It was too—_gruesome_. Too horrible. _But he told me not to disregard anything,_ Sasuke thought, coughing a bit more. _I have to ask him._

He glanced at his clock, wincing as he noticed it was three in the morning. He debated whether or not to wait, but he knew he wouldn't get back to sleep either way. They didn't have classes the next day because, apparently, labs were never held during the first week. He was sure Naruto wouldn't mind.

Pulling himself out of bed, Sasuke walked towards Naruto's room and tried the door. It was unlocked, which angered him, because he knew it meant Sai had snuck in while the blond was asleep. He still didn't know why the thought of Sai trying to get down Naruto's pants upset him. After all, _he_ didn't have any feelings for the blond, and as far as Sasuke could tell, Naruto had no feelings for _anyone_. Of course, it didn't mean he was gay, but he could give it a try with Sai, couldn't he?

_I can't believe I'm thinking of Naruto giving __**Sai**__ a chance,_ the raven thought angrily as he pushed open the door and entered the room. He closed it behind himself and turned to the bed, freezing as his eyes caught sight of Naruto. The blond was lying on his back on the bed, the covers kicked to the end—and he was completely naked.

Sasuke could understand, it was fairly hot in the suite because the heat had been turned on, but—he'd seen Naruto naked way too many times since he'd woken up from his coma. And it worried him that every time he saw the blond naked, he got excited. His heart beat just a little faster, his breath caught in his throat, and his pants became just a little too tight.

Not wanting to wake the blond up while he was in such a vulnerable position, Sasuke just prayed he was a heavy sleeper as he grabbed the blankets from the bottom of the bed and draped them over Naruto's waist. Once he was satisfied, he bent down beside Naruto's head and shook his shoulder slightly.

"Naruto." he said in a decently loud voice. "Naruto, wake up."

"Sasuke." the blond breathed before rolling over, still fast asleep. The raven sighed, shaking him harder.

"Naruto, wake up. I need to talk to you." He shook him even harder. "Naruto!"

"Please, no!" The blond jerked up in bed, his eyes wide with alarm. Sasuke pulled his hand back, startled at the look in Naruto's eyes. Anger, annoyance and sleepiness were all reactions he was expecting. Terror was not.

"Sasuke." Naruto seemed to deflate and his shoulders relaxed as he noticed the person crouched down beside him. Sasuke noticed his hands were shaking as he brought them up to rub his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Naruto turned to him, forcing a smile. "Bad dream. Are _you_ okay?"

"I'm not sure." Sasuke admitted. "Can I sit?"

"Yeah, of course." Naruto moved over, pulling the sheet with him. Sasuke was glad he'd covered the other boy up before waking him.

The raven sat down beside Naruto, leaning back against the headboard as he stared at the ceiling. The lights from the street lamps outside illuminated Naruto's room, giving it a soft glow that was just bright enough to see everything, but dark enough for it not to bother the room's occupant.

"So, what's on your mind?" Naruto asked around a yawn.

"I had a dream just now." Sasuke frowned. "I—hope it wasn't a memory, but at the same time, I do. It means I'm getting some of my old self back."

"Well, tell me about it, and I'll let you know. If I can, that is. Otherwise, you might have to talk to Kakashi."

Sasuke's frown deepened. He wasn't sure how he felt about telling Naruto this. It was morbid, and disgusting. If it was just a dream—he was scared Naruto would think he was a terrible person. _No, you __**have**__ to tell him,_ he decided, shaking his head slightly. _Just __**do**__ it!_

"I was a kid." Sasuke began. "Young. Eight, nine at the most. I came home from school, and I couldn't find anyone. I went upstairs to go to my parent's room, and..." he trailed off, not wanting to continue. It was too gruesome, and he didn't want Naruto to hate him.

"Your parents were dead?" Sasuke's head snapped in Naruto's direction, the blond staring at the ceiling with a sad look on his face. "And then you turned around and saw your brother?"

Sasuke's throat worked as tears formed in his eyes. "It-it wasn't a dream?" Naruto turned to him sadly.

"No, Sasuke. It wasn't a dream."

Without thinking about it, Sasuke buried his face in Naruto's chest, and cried. The blond wrapped comforting arms around him, rubbing his back soothingly, letting his used-to-be lover sob into his chest.

* * *

"How are the memories coming along?" Gaara asked Sasuke as the two of them walked towards Chemistry, having said goodbye to Naruto.

"They're more frequent, now. Ever since I saw Gai two days ago, little things have been coming back to me." He turned to Gaara as he spoke. "It's been three days, and I feel like I remember most of my young life. It's—refreshing."

"What about Naruto?" Gaara inquired, wondering if the blond could be expecting his boyfriend back any time soon.

"No, nothing on him yet." Sasuke shook his head. "But hey, it'll come back, right?" He smiled at Gaara, the action in itself causing the redhead to stop. "What?"

"You—smiled."

Sasuke frowned. "Is that uncommon?"

"You hardly ever smiled at anyone but Naruto." Gaara informed as he continued walking, Sasuke having stopped this time, a frown on his face.

"Really?" he asked, confused, as he chased after the billionaire's son.

The two of them walked into their Chemistry class, sitting down near the front and waiting for their professor to arrive. They hadn't met him yet, and Gaara was anxious to judge him. It was a habit the redhead had never grown out of. Naruto had been lucky enough to be okay in his book, which allowed Gaara to meet all of his other friends and realize he liked them all a great deal.

"Do you know this professor? Or, do I?"

"Not to my knowledge." Gaara informed. "Naruto would have told us if the professor was an acquaintance of yours, so we should assume we do not know him."

"Okay, good. I really don't need another professor running up to me, asking if I know them, and then telling me my memory will come back soon." the raven grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Out of curiosity, how is this Sai person?" Gaara inquired, his arms crossed as he stared at the front. "I don't like how he drapes himself all over Naruto and follows him around. It makes me feel he has an ulterior motive."

"Yeah, getting into Naruto's pants." Sasuke spat. Gaara's head snapped in Sasuke's direction as he noted the anger in that statement.

"This—bothers you?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, yeah." Sasuke insisted. "I mean, you can tell Naruto doesn't like him, and he probably isn't even gay, but Sai _still_ insists on hitting on him."

Were Gaara any other person, he would have burst out laughing when the words 'Naruto probably isn't even gay' came out of Sasuke Uchiha's mouth. But, because he was Gaara Sabaku, he just stared.

"I suppose." he finally said after a long silence.

That was when the door at the front opened and a young-looking professor emerged, probably around the same age as Iruka. He wore sunglasses—which he pushed up onto his forehead as he entered the dark room—black cargos and a blue shirt. He regarded the class with a grin before plopping down on his desk, completely ignoring the chair that was there for him to sit on.

"Yo, what up, all? How y'all doin' taday?" Sasuke and Gaara cocked an eyebrow in-sync, both of them sitting with their arms crossed. "Name's Aoba Yamashiro, n'I'll be yer prof for da year." The professor leaned back on the table, propping himself up on his elbows as he smirked at the stunned looks on the students' faces. "Dun let my vocab scare ya off, I ain't good with da English language. What I _am_ good at, is Chemis'ry. Tha's all I care 'bout, y'hear?" He shrugged. "Ya ain't impressed, dere's da door." He motioned the door with a jerk of his head. "But if y'all think dat pervert Orochi or da perfectionist Ebisu're bedda—go on 'head and join their class. Those'a'ya who would rather sit trew my horrid English, welcome."

"Orochimaru hit on you, and Ebisu pissed you off." Gaara said to Sasuke.

"Sold." Sasuke replied. "I'll get used to it." he stated, talking about Aoba's method of speech. After all, why would he want to be in an old pervert's class, or a perfectionist's, when he could have a professor close to his age who could relate to him? No, this was a better idea.

"Right. Since none'a'y'all are leavin', I'll hand out da syllabus. Hold onta yer pants, peepz, cause dis here is gonna get smokin'." The professor grinned.

_Yeah, I can get used to this, _Sasuke decided.

* * *

(1) Don't really know how to describe it. It's the hat Naruto wears to bed in the anime. Credit for this idea goes to Kyte Pheonix, who in turn, got the idea from a pic drawn by NekoHellAngel. Thanks :smiles:

**

* * *

**

**A/N: You know how I have Genma as some crazy, perverted professor? Well, my Aoba apparently can't speak English. :sigh: I love tertiary characters. You can have so much fun with them :beams:**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	6. Gravedigger

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :lower lip quivers while listening to K. Masashi talk about how I **_**can't**_** have Naruto or its characters: But... but... I want them!**

* * *

Naruto stood in front of his door, taking deep, even breaths. He could do this. He just had to walk out of his room and smile brightly until he left the apartment. Sai didn't know him enough to be able to tell it was fake, and Sasuke—well, he forgot about Naruto, so he was safe there, too.

It had been a week since the start of term. To be precise, a week and three days, making that particular day a Saturday. To be even _more_ precise, it was a Saturday a week away from the previous one. It was the day Naruto Uzumaki would have to aid and abed murderers.

The blond opened his door and walked towards the front door. "I'm going out. Don't wait up." he called to the other occupants of the suite. Instantly, Sasuke was at his door, looking out at the best friend he couldn't even remember.

"Watch out for vampires." the raven teased, a smirk on his lips as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"I've always wanted to be a vampire." Naruto admitted with his own smirk. "Die and then be alive forever. Then, I'd come back and _bite you_!"

"That's not very nice." Sasuke stated, which caused Naruto to laugh.

"Bye. I'll be back. I might be a vampire!"

"I'll have the garlic ready for you." Sasuke called as Naruto waved before closing the front door behind himself.

The smile on his face disappeared and he felt worry clawing at his chest. He looked at his watch, noting it was ten at night. He still had two hours before he had to head out to the meeting place Deidara had told him about, but he didn't want to risk being late. So, he walked out of Gage towers and headed towards the parking lot on the other side of the four tall buildings.

His black Viper sat peacefully in the open area, only three other cars there. He walked up to his black beauty and ran his hand along the hood, hoping Orochimaru would forget and not show up.

Of course, his prayers weren't answered when the Sannin pulled into the parking lot at quarter to midnight in a silver Sedan, coming to a stop beside Naruto's black car. The blond was sitting on the hood, watching as Orochimaru opened the passenger-side door and motioned him inside.

"We're taking my car. There's been a change of plan. We're meeting Sasori elsewhere."

Naruto had no choice but to slide off his car and enter the Sannin's.

It smelled disgusting when Naruto sat down and slammed the door. His car smelled almost exactly like his office, and there were no weird jars to blame the smell on. It was an almost sickeningly sweet smell that one could attribute to decay, but there was nothing in the car that suggested decay. Then again, Naruto didn't know about the trunk.

They drove down the streets of Vancouver, turning corners and going down other streets. It didn't take long before Naruto was completely lost, but he didn't think it mattered too much. Orochimaru seemed to know where he was going, so all he had to do was stay calm and not betray how utterly terrified he was.

"There's one thing I have to warn you about, Naruto." The blond turned to look at the Sannin. "Tonight, no matter what you see, I advise you not to throw up. If you do, the forensics will have your DNA. They'll run it through their system and it'll come up as having seven epithelials in common with your mother. It won't take them long to identify you."

"Fine." Naruto muttered, looking back out the window.

After what seemed like forever, but was at most ten minutes, they stopped outside a large forest, Orochimaru turning off the engine and opening his door.

"There's two screwdrivers in the glove box. Take them out." he ordered before slamming the door.

Naruto complied, grabbing them before opening his own door and exiting the car. He walked to the trunk, where Orochimaru was, and stood beside the Sannin as he opened the back. The professor held his hand out for one of the screwdrivers before motioning for Naruto to unscrew two screws that were positioned at the top and bottom of the right side of the trunk. Orochimaru was doing the same on the left.

Once the screws were out, Naruto put them and the screwdriver in his back pocket before helping the Sannin pull a board out of the trunk. It was a secret compartment, he realized. Beneath the board were four shovels. Orochimaru grabbed one and handed it to Naruto before grabbing another and replacing the board. The trunk was then closed and Orochimaru opened the back door to pull out two flashlights, handing one to Naruto before walking towards the trees. The blond followed his professor into the woods.

They walked through the trees for a while until they reached a large clearing. Orochimaru looked around before nodding.

"All right, start digging." The Sannin pushed his shovel into the dirt.

Naruto obeyed, feeling his stomach reel as they dug what was obviously going to be a grave. He kept reminding himself not to throw up. He didn't want to get arrested for something he didn't even do. _What am I talking about?_ he thought with a sigh. _I'm an accessory to murder. Even if I wasn't there for the initial death, I'm helping them hide the evidence._

He just shook his head as they continued to dig, feeling his arms scream in protest. He couldn't stop, though. They had to dig a deep hole, and Orochimaru kept barking that he was too slow.

Once the hole was finished, he fell down on the ground and let out a deep sigh, wondering if they could leave now and have Sasori throw all the dirt back onto the grave. He knew it wouldn't be fair, but then again, they were murderers. What did he care if he was mean to them?

The two in the clearing heard an engine and turned towards the source. A car was slowly making its way into the clearing, obviously having known another path that would allow a car to come this far into the forest. Naruto recognized Sasori behind the wheel.

The redhead stopped the car and climbed out, leaving the engine running so that the headlights shone on the grave-to-be.

"Orochimaru." he stated monotonously as he walked to the back of the car.

The Sannin dug the end of his shovel into the ground before walking towards Sasori's car, Naruto watching. The two of them pulled a coffin out of the back of the car and Naruto noticed it was see-through. Probably made of plastic or Plexiglas.

They walked towards the grave with it in between them, and Naruto frowned as he noticed movement inside the box. His stomach clenched and he literally had to hold in his vomit. Good God, the man inside was still alive!

"W-wait a minute!" Naruto exclaimed as they neared the grave and began to turn so they could dump the makeshift coffin in. "Wait, he's not dead! The man is still alive!"

Both murderers ignored the blond as he watched on in horror, the man inside the coffin crying and pounding on the lid. He was also screaming and begging to be let out.

"You can't do this!" Naruto hollered, feeling light-headed. "He-he's still alive!"

"Calm the kid down." Sasori ordered as he and Orochimaru put the coffin into the hole.

Once finished, the Sannin walked up to Naruto, whose mouth was open as if he was ready to heave. He placed his hand over the blond's mouth before grabbing his shoulder with his other hand, squeezing tightly.

"Remember what I said in the car, Naruto. We can't have you arrested, because you'll sell us out, and then your friends will have to die."

Naruto forced himself to breathe in deep breaths through his nose, trying to calm himself down as much as possible. When his stomach settled, he nodded to Orochimaru, who removed his hand.

"Come on." Sasori said, monotone. "Let's bury him and leave."

Orochimaru walked up to the grave and jumped down on top of the Plexiglas, looking in at the man inside. "Hello, Mr. Okamoto. George Sanders sends his regards."

The man—Mr. Okamoto—begged to be let out. He said he'd do whatever they asked. He would pay them all double what George Sanders was paying them. Orochimaru merely climbed out of the grave as a reply, grabbing his shovel and starting to cover the coffin with dirt.

Sasori had grabbed his own shovel from his car and the two murderers returned the dirt into the ground. Naruto didn't move. He just watched on in horror. It wasn't until Sasori looked up at him with a look that promised death that Naruto moved forward with his shovel and began to help them. Mr. Okamoto's face was still visible when he got there, so the first thing he did was cover it with dirt. He didn't want to look at it.

It took them about five minutes to get the grave covered, since there were three of them and they were mostly pushing the dirt back into the hole rather than lifting shovels-full of the stuff. Once it was all covered, Sasori patted it down before sprinkling seeds over it. They were special seeds that made grass grow within twenty-four hours. If nobody came this way until the next night, nobody would even know the earth had been disturbed there.

"We're done." Sasori said as he headed back for his car. "He has approximately twenty minutes of air. Inform Mr. Sanders in two hours."

"Understood." Orochimaru said as Naruto checked his watch. "Come, Naruto." The Sannin turned and Naruto followed obediently, the sound of Sasori's car disappearing as the other man backed out of the clearing.

They headed back to Orochimaru's car and put the shovels back in the trunk, screwing the screws back in before Naruto put the screwdriver in his back pocket again.

"I'm going to walk home." the blond choked out. "I need some air."

"It's far." the Sannin insisted. "Wouldn't you prefer a ride?"

The blond shook his head, insisting he wanted to walk. Orochimaru nodded and left soon after, the Uzumaki watching him go.

* * *

Naruto ran for all he was worth, ducking under branches and jumping over roots. More than once he felt a branch catch at his clothes, ripping them along with his skin. He had blood all over his arms and a few scratches on his knees from when he'd fallen, but he didn't stop.

It was hard to see without any lights, and he wished he'd thought of bringing a flashlight with him. As it was, he could only rely on the light of the moon. It was enough, thank God, but not nearly as light as he would've liked.

Finally, the blond burst into the clearing, hitting the light on his digital watch. He had five minutes left. There was no way he could uncover the entire thing in five minutes, especially without a shovel. _I'll dig one hole straight down and make a hole in the Plexiglas,_ the blond decided as he skidded to a halt and began digging furiously with his hands. He was glad he still had the screwdriver in his back pocket.

His hands were cramping and his fingernails were bleeding, but the blond continued to dig straight down. A few minutes later, he finally reached the Plexiglas. Pulling the screwdriver out, he slammed it into the Plexiglas. It took him four tries before he finally managed to make a small hole. For the moment, it was enough. At least he was going to be getting air, no matter how little it was.

Ensuring the hole was always uncovered, Naruto continued to dig, trying to reach the coffin. He must've been there for close to an hour before it was fully exposed, Mr. Okamoto inside and unmoving.

"Mr. Okamoto?" he called, knocking on the glass. "Hey, can you hear me?"

There was no reply. Naruto wedged the screwdriver under one of the corners and struggled to lift the lid off. It took him a few tries, but he finally managed, pulling it off and jumping down into the hole, standing over Mr. Okamoto.

"Hey. Can you hear me?" Naruto asked as he slapped the man's cheeks. Still, there was no response. He checked for breathing and found none. He checked for a pulse, and found none. "No!" Naruto exclaimed. "Hey, come on! Wake up!"

Naruto began to perform CPR. Fifteen compressions to the man's chest before blowing twice into his mouth. He continued for a little while, but there was still no reaction.

"No!" Naruto hollered, pounding one fist against the man's chest. "Come on! Don't do this!"

Eventually, his pounding became weaker and weaker as he dissolved into tears, sitting on the chest of a dead man. "Fuck." he sobbed.

"Well, well." Naruto whipped around, his eyes wide and horror evident on every part of his face. "I had a feeling you'd be coming back here to try and save him."

_Oh my God, what have I done? _Naruto thought, horrified. _Everyone I know is going to die! Oh my __**God**__!_

"Don't look so terrified." Orochimaru walked calmly towards Naruto, bending down beside the grave to look at him. "I can understand why you did it. You thought you could make a difference. Save him, and no one would be the wiser, right?" Naruto swallowed hard. "It was a stupid mistake, Naruto. But, your biggest mistake was getting caught."

"Please..." Naruto whispered, not even sure what he wanted to say.

"Oh, don't worry, Naruto." The Sannin smirked at him. "I won't tell anyone, under two conditions." Faster than Naruto could react, Orochimaru grabbed him by the cheeks with one hand, pulling him forward so they were nose to nose. "The first is that you never _ever_ do this again. If they're left to die, you _let them __**die**_! Understood?" The blond nodded, and Orochimaru let him go.

"And the second condition?" he whispered as he rubbed his left cheek with the back of his right hand.

"You spend the night at my place."

Naruto's heart fell into his stomach. He could read between the lines. He knew what Orochimaru was saying. But right now, he had no choice. Orochimaru now held the life of everyone he cared about in his hands, all because of one mistake.

"All right." Naruto whispered, avoiding his eyes. He felt like a little piece of his soul just died.

"Good. Get out of there, we'll bury him again."

The blond obeyed, climbing out of the grave and replacing the lid on the coffin. The two of them refilled the hole, Orochimaru having brought two shovels. After a few minutes, they were done, and the older man led the young student through the trees towards his car. Naruto silently wished Orochimaru would just kill him.

* * *

Sasuke jerked up in bed and threw his covers off himself, running for his door. He slammed through it and bolted full-speed down the corridor before smashing into Naruto's door. He half-expected it to be locked, but it opened easily.

He stopped short as he walked into the room. The bed was empty. It hadn't been slept in at all. He frowned as he looked at the clock on Naruto's bedside. It was five in the morning. Where the hell could he possibly be at this hour?

Sasuke felt panic rising in his throat, because of what Kiba had told him. People were out to get Naruto, although he didn't know why. Kiba wouldn't say. What if Naruto had been out and gotten jumped? What if something had happened to him?

Without thinking about the time, Sasuke bolted for the front door and threw it open. He ran to the stairs, not bothering with the elevator since it would take too long. He climbed down only one flight before exiting and pounding on the only door on the third floor.

At first, he heard nothing. Then, grumbling and yelling were heard and the door opened, a very disgruntled Kiba on the other side.

"Sasuke?" he asked, his anger and annoyance disappearing. "Are you okay?"

"Naruto's not home." Sasuke blurted out. Kiba grabbed his shoulders.

"What do you mean he's not home? Where is he?"

"I don't know!" Sasuke exclaimed, horrified. "He left sometime around ten last night and said he would be back later. I went to bed around midnight, and just woke up now, and he's not back yet! What if—what if something _happened_ to him?"

Sasuke didn't understand why he was panicking so much. There was no way for him to know that deep down, he knew he should be panicking, which was why he was doing so, even if he didn't understand it.

"Okay, calm down." Kiba ordered.

"What's going on?" Chouji asked with a yawn as he appeared in the entrance. "Eh? Sasuke?"

"Come in." Kiba pulled the raven in and closed the door, brushing past Chouji and heading for the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Chouji asked again, only to be ignored as Sasuke followed Kiba.

"Guys, I'm trying to sleep." Shikamaru's lazy voice drawled as he entered the kitchen, Kiba and Sasuke there with Chouji standing by the door. "What's all the commotion?"

"Naruto's missing." Kiba said as he picked up the phone and dialled a number. Chouji and Shikamaru were instantly awake.

"Should I wake Shino? We can use his truck to go look for him." Chouji suggested.

"That would do no good." They all jumped as Shino suddenly appeared, having heard the conversation from his room. "Without knowing where he is, having my truck would not help in any way."

Kiba had the phone to his ear, now, listening to it ring. It rang. And rang. And rang. Just when he was sure the answering machine would pick up, the line clicked. No sound emerged from the other end, which caused Kiba to frown.

"Hello?"

There was breathing for a few seconds before a gravely voice answered. "Yeah?"

"Naruto." Kiba breathed a sigh of relief, Sasuke sinking into one of the kitchen chairs and letting out a deep breath. "Naruto, shit. Where the fuck are you?"

"I'm on my way home." he replied in a low voice. "I should be there soon."

"Do you need a lift or something?" Kiba asked.

"No. I'm almost there." the blond replied in the same low voice as before.

"You sound kind of weird. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'll be home soon. I'll call you." The line went dead.

"Where is he?" Sasuke demanded as Kiba hung up.

"He said he's on his way. You should head back upstairs; give us a call when he gets in."

The raven nodded before thanking them and apologizing for waking them all up. They insisted it was no big deal and waved goodbye as he left their suite, heading back for the stairs. He went back to his own suite and sat down at the kitchen table, leaving the lights off. He didn't want to wake up Sai, although his banging around when he'd made his way to Naruto's room and then left the suite had probably woken him up, anyway.

Sasuke sat in the dark for about five minutes before he heard the front door open. He stood up and headed for the entrance, but froze at what he saw. He shrank back into the darkness as Naruto closed the door, not wanting the blond to see him. He had to cover his mouth to stop from letting out a gasp.

The boy looked terrible. His shirt was ripped and blood speckled the material. The front of his jeans were filthy, and there were two rips at the knees, scratches evident on his skin. When he walked, he did so with a limp before whimpering slightly. He continued to his room, letting out soft mewls of pain. Once there, he flicked on his light, forcing Sasuke to hide more, but it didn't matter because the blond had his back to him.

Naruto grabbed the back of his collar and yanked the shirt up over his head. Sasuke's eyes widened and he didn't quite understand the jolt of jealousy he felt. It was drowned out by concern, anyway. On Naruto's back were two sets of fingernail scratches, running from up by his shoulders all the way down his back to his hips. (1)

Before he could stop himself, Sasuke walked up to the room and stood in the doorway. It took Naruto a few seconds to notice he was there, since he had his back to him, but upon feeling someone watching him, he spun around. Both boys' eyes widened at the same time, for two different reasons. Naruto was stunned Sasuke was there, because he'd thought no one was awake—which was why he hadn't closed his door. Sasuke was stunned because the bruises on the blond's jaw—which had been starting to go away—were now back, and darker than ever.

"What happened to you?" Sasuke whispered, afraid that if he spoke any louder the blond would shatter into a million pieces.

"Nothing." Naruto looked away, wringing his shirt in his hands.

"You're telling me this is nothing?" Sasuke demanded. "Naruto, it looks like someone shoved you in a blender and hit 'high speed'! You look like shit!"

"Thanks."

"I'm serious!" Sasuke insisted.

The two stood in silence for a while, Naruto still avoiding his gaze. Sasuke wanted to say something, but he didn't know what.

"I can't make it stop." Naruto whispered. Sasuke frowned.

"Make what stop?"

"What's happening. It's because of who I am." Naruto walked to the door, holding the doorknob in his hand. "I'm sorry you worry, Sasuke, but there's nothing I can do to stop it. You should just worry about yourself."

And then, Naruto did the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his life. He shut his door in the face of the person he loved.

* * *

(1) No, Orochimaru was NOT the Uke. Naruto was riding him, because Orochi likes it like that.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Mou, I'm so mean :cries: This one is so much darker than Roommates! SORRY! All the humour is going into Pyro :S**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	7. Mistake

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :challenges K. Masashi to an arm-wrestle: Whoever wins gets all the characters from Naruto. :Itachi smirks. Sarge pales: Minus Itachi. I don't want him. **

**A/N: A few things to clear up. Firstly, a few people were talking about how Naruto having all those injuries would attract attention. This is true, but you have to remember that in Roommates, he came back from class beat up, too. His name is Uzumaki, it's bound to happen (hence the reference to his name at the end). Secondly, I'm not sure if anyone realizes this, but without a person's consent, even if you're terribly concerned about someone, they can choose not to get help. If you call the cops or something, they have the right to turn them away if they feel it doesn't concern them, and the cops can't do anything about it because it's a person's right. Thirdly, I think something everyone must remember is a) lack of proof, and b) Orochimaru is Tsunade's brother in my fic... I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have the guts to go tell the president of UBC that her brother is sexually abusing someone. :sweatdrop: ... Also, I kinda see Orochimaru as the type of guy who would rub it in. Force Naruto to do this, flaunt it in front of his friends, and basically go "nyah nyah nyah, you can't do anything cause Naruto won't let you!" ...Sorry... I rambled...**

* * *

Sasuke stared down into his coffee cup, twirling it in his hand slowly, watching the black liquid swirl. Vaguely, he wondered if his other self used to like coffee. Himself, he couldn't say he was too fond of it, but he hadn't gotten much sleep. After waking up from his dream and finding Naruto gone, he hadn't been able to get back to sleep. The look of defeat and pain in Naruto's eyes haunted him every time he closed his eyes.

He looked up as someone sat down across from him and nodded. Neji nodded back to him. The Hyuuga ordered a coffee when the waitress passed, but other than that, he didn't speak.

A few minutes later, Gaara entered the shop and sat down with them, nodding to them as well. They nodded back as they waited for the final person to join their group.

Ten minutes passed before Kiba came in, muttering and cursing under his breath about his parents. He sat down and apologized for being late, but his mother had called and he couldn't get the hint across that he had to leave.

Now that they were all there, Sasuke felt he could start. Sitting before him were the three people who knew Naruto best. He was supposedly his best friend, and the him currently in his head knew he cared about Naruto, so he was going to find out what was going on with him, and he was going to find out _now_.

"Naruto's not telling us something." Sasuke said, cutting right to the chase.

"Agreed." Gaara concurred, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. "We have to find out what's going on."

"He keeps coming home injured." Sasuke informed. "I'm getting worried."

"Was he injured last night?" Neji inquired, his eyebrows down in a frown.

"He was."

"You didn't tell me that over the phone." Kiba growled.

"I wanted to let him sleep. I knew if I told you, you would come upstairs and bother him. He looked exhausted."

"Something is wrong, and we need to find out what." Gaara repeated. "Let's start with what we know."

"Okay. So far we know jack about squat, let's take it from there." Kiba grumbled.

"No, we know he's lying." Neji stated.

"And he keeps getting hurt." Sasuke shot in.

"Yeah, what's with those bruises on his jaw, fuck?" Kiba asked as he looked at the other three boys and scratched his head. "He has them almost all the time, now. I mean, sometimes it looks like they're going away, but then you see him a few hours later and they're back full-force. I know it's only been a few weeks since that started, but—this is ridiculous, fuck!"

"How would you even _get_ those?" Gaara asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

"The only thing I can think of is the dentist." Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Yeah." Kiba agreed. "Something that would require you to keep your mouth open for a long time."

The second those words left his mouth, realization dawned on all their faces and they shared a look.

"You're not all thinking of what I just thought of, are you?" Kiba asked, a pained look on his face.

"Shit, someone's been sexually abusing him." Sasuke breathed out as he rubbed his face with both hands.

"Why would he not tell us this?" Neji asked, anger creeping into his voice.

"It's embarrassing. Come on, _I_ wouldn't admit it." Kiba insisted.

"We have to confront him." Gaara stated.

"And say what?" Sasuke whispered.

"I don't know, _something_!" Gaara spat.

Kiba cocked an eyebrow at Gaara. He'd never seen the redhead lose his cool, but obviously, the thought of someone hurting Naruto in such a manner was enough to anger the other boy to the point where he'd show emotion. Kiba silently prayed whoever did this was found by anyone but Gaara, because he could tell from looking into those green eyes that the Sabaku would kill him, hands down. Not that he, himself, wouldn't do the same.

"So, what do we do?" Kiba demanded after a long silence.

"We follow him." Sasuke stated, his hands folded together and under his chin. The others noticed it was a very Sasuke-like pose. "We follow him the next time he goes out, and we find out who the fucker is."

"Uzumaki will be furious." Neji stated, leaning forward on the table. "He won't like it that we're doing this, even if it's for his own good."

"I don't give a rat's ass." Sasuke snapped. "He's getting hurt for something he has no control over. Fuck, last night, he came home limping, scratches all over his body, fingernail marks down his back, bruises—he looked like shit. I'm _not_ kidding. Whoever's doing this is not only abusing him sexually, but they're hurting him, too. I'm willing to bet his body isn't the only thing being tortured right now."

"It must be taking a toll on his mind." Neji agreed with a frown. "Not only that, but also Sasuke not remembering him." The Uchiha winced, something which Neji noticed. "Sorry, Uchiha, but it's true."

"Fuck, how can he be _letting_ this happen?" Kiba growled. "He obviously knows who it is, because the injuries appear to be the same every time. So why go back for more if he doesn't want it, fuck?"

"Leverage." Gaara cut in. "This person has something to hold over Naruto's head."

"Like what?" Kiba asked. "What could be so goddamn important that he'd let this happen to himself?"

Immediately, Gaara's eyes shifted to look at Sasuke. Neji and Kiba followed his gaze, both understanding what he meant. Sasuke himself just stared at them all before his eyes widened and he motioned himself.

"You think _I'm_ the reason this is happening to him?!" he demanded hysterically. "No fucking way!"

"You _are_ the most important thing to him." Kiba admitted with a wince as he rubbed the back of his head. "It doesn't mean we blame you, or anything, nor does it mean _he_ blames you, but this is connected to you somehow, I know it."

"No way." Sasuke insisted, mostly to make the lump in his throat go down. This _couldn't_ be happening because of him, it just _couldn't_ be!

"My, what serious faces." All of their heads turned to regard the person who had so rudely interrupted their important discussion. "What are you talking about?"

"This doesn't concern you." Gaara said, his eyes narrowing. "Go away."

"That's no way to speak to me, Mr. Sabaku." Orochimaru snapped. "I may no longer be your professor, but I _am_ a professor nonetheless."

"We apologize." Neji said, inclining his head slightly. Sasuke could tell he looked disgusted with himself for being polite, but he had no choice. Orochimaru _was_ a professor. "We are discussing serious matters. They are very personal."

"I see." Orochimaru's eyes went to Sasuke and the raven shivered. He felt like the man's filthy hands were crawling all over him just by that one look. "Hello, Sasuke. You probably don't remember me because of your amnesia, but you and I were very close."

_Doubt it,_ the raven thought, but he replied politely, anyway. "I apologize for not remembering you, professor. What course did I have with you?"

"Chemistry."

As if that one word had triggered something in Sasuke's brain, the raven suddenly remembered himself being pinned to shelves with Orochimaru touching his face before leaning forward and grazing his cheek with his lips. The Uchiha grit his teeth as he answered.

"You know, I think I may remember some of our _encounters_." he bit the last word out, and the pleased smirk on Orochimaru's face faltered slightly.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Naruto suddenly appeared at Orochimaru's side, not even noticing who the four people at the table he stood beside were. His four friends' eyebrows shot into their hairlines as they regarded Naruto with wide eyes. Orochimaru himself just smirked down at the blond.

"Naruto, how good of you to _come_ so quickly. I was just reminiscing with Sasuke."

The blond stiffened at these words before slowly turning his head and looking at who he was standing beside. He paled slightly as he noticed his four friends, all of them staring at him, stunned. Kiba's fist clenched and he went to get up out of his seat, now completely aware of who was hurting Naruto, since the blond wouldn't willingly see Orochimaru unless he had no choice. Gaara's hand shot out like rapid-fire, grabbing Kiba's arm and yanking him back down. Orochimaru was too enraptured with Naruto to notice.

"Hello, Naruto." Neji said calmly, acting exactly the way Gaara was. "What brings you here?"

"I needed extra help with Chemistry." Naruto blurted out. He cursed inwardly the second he did, because he used to get help from Neji.

"There is no need to seek help from your professor." Neji stated. "He is a busy man. You know you can always come to me when you need extra help. I only live two floors down."

"It's actually more of a project." Naruto tried again. "Extra credit."

"What kind of extra credit?" Sasuke demanded.

"Naruto works very hard to improve his grades." Orochimaru said as he wrapped one arm around Naruto's shoulders before moving his hand across his back, rubbing it slightly. Naruto started shaking slightly, something the other boys didn't fail to notice. Kiba went to get up again, but Gaara yanked him back down a second time. This wasn't the place for this kind of confrontation.

"Well, Naruto and I had best be off. We have much to do." Orochimaru began to lead the blond away.

"We'll talk later, Naruto." Gaara stated, tightening his grip on Kiba's arm when the brunette watched them go with wide eyes, anger flashing across his face. Neji and Gaara were both thankful he hadn't said anything.

The second Orochimaru had left with Naruto, Sasuke got angrily to his feet, throwing money down onto the table before grabbing his jacket and storming towards the door.

"Sasuke!" Kiba hollered as he jumped over his seat to catch up with the raven. Neji and Gaara dropped money on the table for their drinks—Neji covering Kiba's—before they also hurried out to follow the other two.

"Hey!" Kiba called as he caught up with Sasuke, the other two only a foot or so away. "Where are you going?"

"To talk to someone who'll do something about this."

"Like who?" Neji inquired.

Sasuke turned to him. "Someone I heard about who's very close to Naruto, and regards him as a son."

"Who would that be?" Gaara inquired.

"The president of UBC."

Kiba grabbed his arm and Sasuke spun to look at the offending appendage, as if silently debating whether or not ripping it off would make him be able to continue on his way faster.

"You can't go see her."

"Why not?!" Sasuke yelled angrily, wrenching his arm free.

"She won't believe us, fuck!" Kiba hollered. "We have no proof! And this guy is, not only a professor, but her _brother_!"

Sasuke's mouth snapped shut at this comment, freezing his retort in his throat. Orochimaru was the president's brother? _Shit,_ the raven thought angrily.

"So what do we do?" he whispered.

"At this point, there is nothing we _can_ do." Neji said, a frown on his face which _clearly_ showed he was displeased with the situation. "We're going to have to wait until he can't take it any more—and tells one of us."

* * *

Sai stood outside Naruto's door, waiting patiently for the blond to come home. He was thankful the fucking rooster's ass wasn't home right now. Naruto always ignored him when the bastard was there. It was like he didn't exist, and it pissed him off.

He wanted to talk to Naruto about why he looked so beat up. It was starting to concern him, and he'd told Tsunade about it, too. She'd yelled at him as if it had been _his_ fault the blond had gone off and gotten himself hurt. Sai had hung up on her, which only resulted in her calling back and yelling at his answering machine.

The front door opened and Sai straightened, looking around the corner. The smile he'd had ready on his face turned into a glare as Sasuke trudged towards him, rubbing the back of his head with a yawn. He looked up and locked eyes with Sai, both immediately starting a glaring contest.

"Is he home?" Sasuke demanded.

"No."

"I'm going to shower."

The raven shoved past Sai and wandered down the corridor, going into the bathroom. When he got inside, he decided to take a bath instead of a shower, running the water as he began to undress.

Sai himself perked up as he heard the beginnings of a bath. If Sasuke's tub finished filling before Naruto got home, there'd be no way for the blond to know Sasuke was even there. Sai would _technically_ have some alone time with him!

He silently prayed for Naruto to come home after Sasuke's tub finished filling. After two or three minutes, the water turned off. And five minutes after that, the door opened. Sai almost squealed with delight, but he managed to hold it in, walking after Naruto as he entered his room, not having noticed Sai.

"Hey, Naruto."

The blond jumped a mile high before spinning around and staring at Sai. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Penis. What do you want?"

"I can't spend time with one of my roommates?" he asked with a pout.

Naruto sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look, Sai, I've had a really long day. To top it off, my long day was also horrible. I really just want to go to sleep."

Sai let out a sigh before putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders and pushing him backwards slightly. Naruto frowned as he allowed the other boy to sit him on his bed. Sai went around behind him and began to massage the blond's shoulders, an involuntary moan coming through Naruto's lips.

"What is it that's got you so tense, Naruto?" Sai asked in his ear, his warm breath ghosting across the blond's cheek.

"Everything." Naruto breathed.

"Everything, huh?" Sai asked as he moved his hands down Naruto's spine. "And why's that?"

"My life sucks."

"I wouldn't say that." Sai insisted. "You're got a lot going for you. Good head on your shoulders. A sexy body. Loads of friends." Sai stopped his massage, grinning evilly behind Naruto's back. "A big penis."

"Don't stop." Naruto whimpered, almost as if he hadn't heard the last thing Sai had said.

The other boy, for his part, took pity on the blond and continued to knead his muscles. He enjoyed all the sounds Naruto made while he massaged him, and decided that if Naruto were gay, he was _definitely_ on the bottom. Sai liked that—he preferred to dominate. When he closed his eyes, he could just see Naruto squirming beneath him, begging him not to stop.

That happy bubble was popped when Naruto let out a sharp cry. Sai's hands retreated immediately as the blond reached over his shoulder, placing one hand in the centre of his back.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Naruto whispered. "You just touched my scar."

Sai frowned, confused. "Is it still—painful?"

"Sometimes. Depends. It was a through-and-through shot."

"How did that happen?"

"Long story, not getting into it."

Sai shook his head and shifted so he was crouched in front of Naruto. "You can talk to me, Naruto. I just want what's best for you. You're the type of person that people can't help but love. You bring sunshine into the lives of everyone around you."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do." Sai insisted. "I'm known you for a grand total of eleven days, and I already feel like a different person." He bent forward, his lips grazing Naruto's cheek on their way to his ear. "You have a gift, Naruto. You're like a drug—people can't help but want more."

"Sai, I don't—"

"Don't deny it." Sai insisted, cutting Naruto off. He knew the blond was going to ask him to stop, but he couldn't. Not when he was so close.

As he had been leaning towards the blond's ear, he'd placed his hands on the boy's thighs, gradually letting them move up as he'd leaned forward. Naruto didn't like that, so he pushed back on Sai's chest with his hands. Not violently enough to throw him off, but not softly enough for him to think Naruto didn't really mean it. He _meant_ it.

"Sai, please don't."

"Why?" The boy in front of him leaned back slightly, cupping Naruto's face in his hands. "Why are you so afraid of me? What have I done? Even if you're not gay, you can learn to appreciate the love another man can give you."

"Look, Sai, it's not that. It's just—" Naruto was interrupted again, but this time, it was by lips. Sai was kissing him.

Naruto knew he shouldn't—but if he squinted his eyes _just_ right, it almost looked like Sasuke. God, he wanted to kiss Sasuke again. And even if he had to pretend—even if he knew it wasn't Sasuke... he wanted this.

And that was why when Sai's demanding tongue fought for access, Naruto allowed his lips to part for the other's tongue to pass through. Naruto realized it was different when he kissed someone else. He'd only ever kissed Sasuke before, and he found he liked Sasuke's kisses better. He tasted strong—almost like raw power, with just a hint of cinnamon. Sai's taste was different. He tasted hungry, feral—like he wanted it all and knew he could get it. It felt wrong to Naruto.

"_What _the **_fuck_**?!" Naruto jerked away from Sai, his eyes widening as he looked past the other boy towards the door. _Oh, shit! Sasuke!_

The raven stood at the door with a towel around his waist, his hair dripping water onto a smooth, pale chest. Emotions flickered across his face so fast Naruto hardly had time to register one before the next one came. It was almost like the new Sasuke and old one were fighting against one another to express their emotions.

The old Sasuke was livid that Sai had been kissing _his_ Naruto, while the new Sasuke was confused as to _why_, exactly, he was so livid that Sai was kissing Naruto.

"Sasuke, I can explain!" Naruto insisted as he got to his feet.

The raven said nothing. He just turned and walked down the corridor, keeping his towel in place around his waist.

"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto practically jumped over Sai, ignoring the other boy when he insisted Naruto just let Sasuke go.

Naruto reached Sasuke when the raven was right outside his room. He grabbed one pale arm and yanked Sasuke around, looking him straight in the eyes.

"It didn't mean anything." he insisted, his grip tightening on Sasuke's arm. "It was just—it was an accident."

"Am I supposed to care who you kiss?" Naruto's head jerked back at the tone. Sasuke's words had seemed to suggest he didn't care, but mixed in with the tone, it was more like an angry accusation.

"Sasuke, I'm _sorry_." Naruto whispered. "Really, _really_ sorry, all right?"

"Naruto, I'm not mad." Sasuke sighed, running his hand through his black hair. "I just—I thought you didn't like him, and now, you suddenly do."

"No, I don't!" Naruto insisted.

"Then you shouldn't encourage him." Sasuke snapped, and then cursed at having done so. "I'm sorry."

"No, you have reason to be angry."

_Damn straight, I have reason, _the raven thought, angrily. He then frowned. _Wait, I have reason? Why do I have reason?_

"Sasuke, I'm _really_ sorry—and every time I say that, you look even _angrier_, so you know what? I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut."

Sasuke had to bite his tongue so as not to blurt out, "Why keep such a talented mouth shut?" _What is going **on** with me?! Am I **gay** or something?!_ he thought, confused. _Right, stupid question. I most **definitely** am. So **now** the question is—is **Naruto** gay? He probably isn't, he looked horrified when he was caught kissing another guy. He's probably ashamed of it. Maybe his walking around naked all the time was to hint to me that **I **was gay. I wonder if the **other** me had this problem._

"Sasuke?" The raven looked at Naruto. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sasuke replied, forcing a smile. _Now that I know I'm gay and you're hot as all hell, I'm fine. I just have to find a way to **get** you!_

"Okay. So—we're cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool." Sasuke replied.

"Okay, good. I'm gonna hit the sack, if it's all the same to you. I'm really tired."

"Sure." Sasuke nodded. "Sleep will help your—wounds go away." Naruto winced but nodded.

"Yeah." He turned away, walking down the corridor. "Night, Sasuke."

"Good night."

Neither boy noticed Sai had retreated to his room, silently fuming that he'd been so close, and at the same time—so far.

* * *

Sasuke ran as hard and fast as he could, his eyes fixed on the door in front of him. Light shone through it like some kind of saviour, like a kind of beacon to save him from the darkness. By now, he knew the darkness would provide him with memories, but he was fairly certain the door before him would remind him of who he was. He needed to get through that door.

"No!" he hollered as the door started closing. "No, stop!"

The door didn't listen. It kept on closing, slowly... slowly... until it shut right in Sasuke's face, the raven slamming into it and pounding on it.

"No! Please! Let me in! I want to remember!"

The door didn't budge. Sasuke was stuck on the opposite side of the door, the darkness creeping towards him. He spun around, leaning his back against the door, breathing hard. As if to tease him, he could see the light shining through the gap at the bottom of the door. So close, yet so far away.

"No, don't!" Sasuke hollered as the darkness closed in. He didn't want any more nightmares that were his memories.

* * *

"Naruto!" The blond jerked up in bed as Sasuke appeared beside him. "Naruto, wake up!"

"What?" he asked groggily and slightly alarmed.

"Cotton balls!" Sasuke blurted out. Naruto stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if Sasuke had gone insane.

"What?"

"Cottons balls! A-a jar. There was a jar, and it had cotton balls in it." Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke began to pace, hitting his forehead with one hand and staring at the floor. "It was—Christmas! Christmas! It was Christmas! It was just you and me. We were—in your house. In your living room. I-I gave you a jar of cotton balls."

"Clouds." Naruto whispered. Sasuke turned to him.

"Clouds what?"

"It was a jar of clouds." Naruto corrected, standing up and walking to his closet. He opened it and pulled out a box from the corner. He opened the box and pulled out the jar Sasuke had given him. Turning, he threw it to Sasuke, who caught it and stared at it. He read the label on the lid, recognizing his handwriting. Indeed, it was a jar of clouds.

He grinned as he realized he'd just remembered something. It was real; it was something that had actually happened.

That was when Sasuke realized—this had been in the closet.

"Why—was this in the closet?" He turned to Naruto, who still stood beside a box. "What's in there?"

As he walked towards it, Naruto closed the box and stood in front of it. "Shizune told me to hide everything you've ever given me. She says that it's better for you to remember stuff by yourself. If you look at this and know you gave it to me, you might feel discouraged if you can't remember it. I'm supposed to show you stuff as it comes." Naruto motioned the jar. "But look! That was your favourite memory. The teacher at school made fun of you, but it was a precious memory."

Sasuke looked down at the jar and a small smile formed on his face. It was true, it _was_ his most precious memory. He could remember it. And he'd shared it with Naruto.

"Yeah." He looked up at Naruto, smiling happily. "Thanks, Naruto. You know, for putting up with me."

"Don't say that." Naruto hit him lightly. "You're my best friend. I'll stick with you until you remember everything."

Sasuke nodded and turned to leave the room, still clutching the jar. As he reached the door, he remembered something else he was sure hadn't happened, but he needed to know. Biting his lip, he turned back to Naruto and pointed the jar at him.

"Did I dye your hair red?"

"You remember that?!" Naruto blurted out.

"Huh." Sasuke smirked and turned to leave the room.

As soon as he was about to exit, he looked down the long corridor. The darkness from Naruto's room to his looked suffocating, and he felt like it would try to kill him if he headed back. He turned and looked at Naruto, the blond still at his closet, returning the box to where it had been. He looked back out the room, and then slowly closed the door. He turned to look at Naruto, the blond not even noticing he hadn't left.

As Naruto stood up and hit his hands together, he turned around, and nearly had a heart attack as he saw Sasuke there.

"Shit! I thought you left."

"I don't want to sleep alone." he whispered, feeling a light blush on his cheeks. "I was thinking—did we ever, you know, sleep in the same bed? I mean, I know we're friends, so—is it okay?"

Naruto had to smile. Even if it wasn't in a sexual way, he would have Sasuke in his bed. It was a good step in the right direction.

"Yeah, we did. Once, I got drunk and you, uh, you slept in my bed with me to stop me from falling off. The bed was three feet off the ground. You didn't want me to get hurt." Naruto walked to his bed and pulled back the sheets. "I'll sleep with you, this time. I'll keep _you _safe."

"Thanks." Sasuke smiled as he put the jar down and headed for the bed.

As he slipped under the covers, he felt a jolt of something in his chest, but he couldn't identify what it was. All he knew was that it made his heart beat faster, and his boxers were a little too tight. He forced himself to ignore it as he turned to look at Naruto, examining him in the moonlight.

His eyes fell on the scars that marred his beautiful tanned skin, wondering how they had happened. Wondering how something so perfect could ever be cut in such a way.

Before Sasuke even knew what he was doing, he reached out and traced one of the long scars that ran across Naruto's chest. One by one, he traced the scars, also doing the bullet-wounds in his shoulder, chest, and stomach. The touch felt familiar, but foreign at the same time. It was hard to explain, but for some reason, he felt like he'd touched Naruto's scars before.

When he looked up and locked coal-black eyes with intense blue, his eyes widened and he retreated his hand, suddenly realizing what he was doing.

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Loads of people do it." Naruto shrugged. He missed the feel of Sasuke's fingers already.

"Yeah, but—" Sasuke was cut off when a noise erupted in the room.

"_Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it!..."_

Naruto turned and jumped out of bed, shuffling around his room and throwing clothes around as he attempted to locate his cell phone. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as he was given a clear view of Naruto's ass—even if the blond _was_ wearing boxers.

Upon locating the phone, the blond flipped it open and put it to his ear without bothering to look at caller ID. He wished he had when he heard the voice on the other end.

"Hello, Naruto."

His blood ran cold, and he realized this was bad. Sasuke was in the room with him, and although the raven couldn't hear what Sasori said—he could hear what _Naruto_ said. He was going to have to lie—again.

"Hey! What's up! Long time no talk." he said in as cheery a voice as he could.

"You are not alone. I understand." Sasori stated in his monotonous voice. "We have another job. Next Tuesday, at midnight. You are to meet Orochimaru in the parking lot again. He shall drive you to the location. I shall be waiting for you there. Confirm you have understood."

"Yeah, of course." Naruto's voice sounded strained to his own ears. "Sounds like fun. I'll be there, for sure."

"Good. See you then." Sasori hung up.

Naruto did the same, turning to Sasuke with a smile. "Old friend. He's coming into town. Meeting up with him next Tuesday."

"Cool." Sasuke said, smiling slightly. "Sounds like you're excited."

"Oh, yeah." Naruto sat down on the bed, his back to Sasuke. His smile faded once the raven couldn't see him. "Thrilled." he whispered.

**

* * *

**

© 2006 **FastForward**


	8. War of the Ravens

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :The author is unavailable to post a disclaimer due to the fact that K. Masashi's Itachi has chased her away for not wanting him. She is currently in hiding, although it is undetermined whether or not Itachi has found her:**

**A/N: HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL CANADIANS OUT THERE! WOOT!**

**PS: Thanks a lot for all the reviews, guys. Honestly, they make me really happy and show that my daily updates aren't a waste of my time. So, thanks. I try hard to respond to them, but sometimes there's just no way for me to, and I apologize for that. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and again, HAPPY CANADA DAY (to those of you who are Canadian and reading this, lol. I know there's at least three of you!)**

* * *

Sasuke stepped off the bus and followed the other boys to the corner, waiting beside a light for it to change. He looked around, trying to see if he recognized anything. Nothing seemed familiar, so he just sighed and crossed his arms, waiting for the light to change.

Once it did, the group of six boys crossed the street and entered a building with the words 'Konoha Karate' emblazoned on the top. Sasuke followed them as they walked before they stopped at the entrance and began to remove their shoes.

"Hey, Iruka!" Naruto called as he waved. Sasuke leaned to the side slightly to see who Naruto was waving at.

A man with a brown ponytail and a scar across the bridge of his nose turned and smiled at the group before heading towards them. Sasuke frowned, recognition flashing across his face. He didn't _remember_ this person, per se, but he knew he'd seen him before _somewhere_.

That was when it hit him. Both Naruto _and_ Kakashi had a picture of this man in their rooms. Was there a reason for this?

"Hey, it's Sasuke." The raven snapped out of his thoughts as the man stood before him, smiling. "I'm glad you're awake. My name is Iruka Umino. I taught you karate last year. I hope you enjoy it as much this time around as last time." Then, he walked away.

Sasuke was stunned. He was the first person who hadn't asked whether or not the raven remembered him, and he didn't insist his memory would come back eventually. _I **like** this guy!_

"The rest of you have been doing well, so I'm going to start you on weapons today, but I think Sasuke should start from scratch again, just in case."

"I'll spar with him." Naruto offered with a shrug.

"Okay. Get into your uniform, then."

The six boys headed for the back and changed, Sasuke still owning the karate outfit due to last year. They re-emerged and Iruka motioned for Shino, Chouji, Kiba and Shikamaru to follow him. Naruto and Sasuke watched as they moved across the large room. Nobody else was there, probably because it was a Thursday at two in the afternoon.

"Is it okay if we watch them for a bit?" Sasuke whispered to Naruto, motioning the other four boys.

"Of course. But let's not move closer." Naruto smiled. Sasuke laughed, shaking his head.

The raven loved how comfortable he felt with Naruto. It was weird for him, since he was aware of the fact that he knew hardly _anything_ about Naruto, yet deep down, he recognized the bond they used to share. He didn't remember the blond, but until he did, he was going to try and act as similar as possible. The other him had valued his friendship with Naruto, and the current him also valued it. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that friendship.

"All right, gentlemen." Iruka slapped his hands together. "We're going to start with easy weapons first—and the least destructive. Therefore, we are going to be using Sais."

Naruto groaned and covered his face. "Even when he's not _here_, I can't escape him."

Sasuke was pretty sure the blond was referring to the fact that the name of the weapon was the same as the name of an annoying roommate of theirs.

"I don't like Sais." Kiba said thoughtfully. "They're like big forks. They remind me of forks. And then, I think of food. And then—I get hungry." Shino raised an eyebrow before motioning his sparring partner.

"Can I hurt him if I have to?"

"I suppose." Iruka shrugged. Shino hit Kiba across the back of the head.

"Ow! I thought you said only if you had to!"

"I had to." the other boy replied. "You were being an idiot."

"Come on." Naruto poked Sasuke. "Let's spar."

"Okay." The raven turned and the two of them walked across the room before bowing to one another and getting ready to fight. "Go easy on me, will you?"

"Not a chance." Naruto smirked before lunging at him.

The two of them fought for a bit, and Naruto was disappointed to find out that Sasuke wasn't nearly as impressive as he was before he lost his memory. He wasn't necessarily _bad_, but Naruto found too many openings and more than once, he could've taken the other boy down. Last year, Naruto was always the one to be taken down.

After a few more minutes, Naruto was seeing too many openings, so he just took one, tackling the raven. Sasuke landed on his back, a whoosh of air escaping from his mouth as Naruto landed on top of him, straddling his stomach and holding both hands above his head.

"You're leaving too many openings." the blond said, his lips dangerously close to Sasuke's.

The raven's eyes locked onto Naruto's lips and he unconsciously licked his own. All he'd have to do was move up just a little bit. Just a few inches, as he could brush his lips against the blond's, and pass it off as an accident.

Just as Sasuke leaned up to do just that, Naruto was wrenched off Sasuke. "Naruto! How've you been?"

Sasuke scowled as he propped himself up on his elbows, glaring at the man who'd stolen his one chance. Who knew when he'd have this kind of opportunity again!

"What are you doing here?" Naruto squeaked as he pulled free from Genma's grasp, the professor letting him go.

"We came by to see Iruka. Yo, 'Ruka!" Genma wandered towards the Karate instructor as Raidou sighed, both hands in his pockets.

"How have things been?" Raidou asked Naruto, glancing at Sasuke. The raven blushed, because he suspected maybe Raidou was aware of what he'd been about to do. He just hoped he didn't tell Naruto.

"Not too bad. He's been remembering a few things in his sleep." Naruto nodded. "Like Shizune said, it was mostly the big things, but he's remembered a few little things. He remembers a bit of our prank war."

"Who won that, by the way?" Sasuke inquired.

"Draw." Raidou and Naruto both replied.

"Oh."

The door suddenly opened, admitting another person into the room, and Sasuke was stunned to see his Chemistry professor walk in. He looked around before nodding to Iruka, the Karate instructor nodding back.

"Hey, I know you!" Genma pointed at him. "You're the new Chemistry professor!"

"That'd be me." Aoba replied as he shoved his hands in his pockets, looking over at Naruto, Raidou and Sasuke. "Yo in mah class, right?"

"Yes." Sasuke replied. "I like it, although I have to admit, I sometimes have a hard time understanding you."

"I get tha a lot." Aoba shrugged.

"Raidou! Raidou, look!" Genma ran up to Aoba, motioning him. "He's a young person, but he's legal! Are you gay?"

Raidou slapped himself in the forehead. "Why me?"

"You chose him." Naruto patted his shoulder.

"No, seriously, are you gay?" Genma repeated before turning to Raidou, his arm around Aoba's shoulder. "Raidou! We should introduce him to Kakashi! Maybe the bastard can finally get laid!"

"I _beg_ your pardon!" Iruka snapped angrily. Genma turned to him and paled.

"I-I was just—"

"Genma doesn't understand the meaning of _one_ boyfriend, Iruka." Raidou said with a smirk. "But don't worry, Kakashi does."

"Is Kakashi gay?" Sasuke asked, hope rising in his throat. Maybe he could get a few answers!

Everyone in the room froze before looking at Sasuke, Aoba shifting uncomfortably because of the tension he suddenly felt. He still wasn't sure how he'd walked into this.

"I don't think we should answer that." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, with an answer like that, it's obvious." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Damn, is _everyone_ I know gay?"

"No!" Kiba hollered. "I'm dating Hinata!"

"I'm not gay, either." Shikamaru replied lazily as he flicked something off his shoulder.

"Nor are Chouji and I. However, yes, most of the people you know are gay."

Naruto was doing a cutting motion behind Sasuke before miming that he was going to beat the shit out of Shino. The other boy just smiled, but he didn't say any more.

"I think I'm done for the day." Sasuke said, turning to look at Naruto, who promptly pretended to be stretching. "Can you bring me back?"

"Sure." Naruto shrugged. "Anything in particular you want to do?"

"Yes. I want to talk to Kakashi."

* * *

Kakashi let out a soft snore as he lay asleep on his couch, an open copy of Icha Icha Paradise resting on his stomach. He let out a soft grunt before shifting, settling down again and continuing to sleep. His precious dark oblivion was shattered by what he at first thought was some sort of alarm. He jerked up worriedly, the book falling onto the floor and effectively losing his page. He looked around, confused, and the sound came again. This time, as the fog lifted from his brain, he recognized it as a doorbell.

Standing up with a small growl, he walked towards the door, deciding if it was anyone other than Iruka, they were going to get a piece of his mind. He threw open the door, ready to yell, when it died in his throat. Not necessarily because of who was on the other side of said door, but because the person had pushed past him into his home.

_Wow, it's like last year all over again,_ Kakashi thought with a smile as he closed the door and shoved his hands in his pockets, walking into the living room. He was startled to see Sasuke sitting the same way he had on one of his visits last year. He was sitting on the couch, his hands clasped together and resting under his chin, a frown on his face.

"I found out you were gay today."

"Does this bother you?" Kakashi asked as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms instead, leaning back against the wall.

"No, it actually helps me." Kakashi perked up at this, straightening slightly.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"I think I, uh..." Sasuke trailed off before clearing his throat. "IthinkImightbegay." he said hurriedly, hoping Kakashi wouldn't catch it.

"Good." Sasuke looked up at his guardian, stunned. Kakashi was smiling at him.

"Good?" Sasuke's eyes widened. "Oh my God, I was gay."

"Apparently, it doesn't matter what state of mind you're in." Kakashi smirked. "If you're gay again, it just goes to show this isn't a choice. It's something you can't help."

"Great." Sasuke groaned. "I live with a gay roommate who's trying to get with the guy _I_ want to get with."

Kakashi frowned and crossed the room, sitting beside Sasuke. "What do you mean? Who's gay?"

"That Sai guy." Sasuke practically spat the name out. "He's been trying to get with Naruto, but Naruto doesn't seem interested. Actually, he seems disgusted. I don't think he's gay."

Kakashi groaned inwardly at the fact that he couldn't tell Sasuke anything about Naruto. And if he told Naruto about this, the blond might go overboard and just jump Sasuke. Kakashi couldn't have that happen. _This is going to be the hardest thing in the world. Worse than when Naruto was actually **straight** and Sasuke liked him._

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. _Nothing is going right this year._

* * *

Naruto snuck silently towards the door, all the lights in the suite off. He glanced at his watch, noting he had ten minutes before Orochimaru would show up to pick him up. He opened the front door, and the second he was about to take a step, the hall light turned on.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked with a yawn. The blond cursed as he spun around.

"Go back to sleep, Sasuke."

"Where are you going?" he asked sleepily, although it was evident he wanted an answer.

"I'm just going out to get some air."

"Don't lie." Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. "You're going to see _him_." Naruto winced. "Please, Naruto. Don't go."

The blond turned away from Sasuke, his fist tightening around the doorknob. "I have to."

"No, you don't! Naruto, _please_."

Naruto closed his eyes, hating the desperation in Sasuke's voice. The old Sasuke would've been pissed and ordered him not to go. This Sasuke was just begging him not to. Either way, though, Naruto had no choice.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." He turned back to the raven. "I don't have control over this." He walked through the doorway and closed the door.

Sasuke stood staring at the door, letting out a sigh and rubbing his face. Naruto only had the bruises on his jaw right now, and they were light. He was willing to bet anything that when he returned, not only would the bruises be darker, but he'd also have more wounds.

Letting out an angry growl, Sasuke turned and stormed back to his room, but as he was about to turn down the corridor, he paused as he stared at Naruto's door. It was slightly ajar. Looking around to make sure Sai wasn't going to see him, Sasuke quietly snuck into Naruto's room and closed the door before turning on the light. His eyes fixed on the closet and he stood motionless for a long while.

Nodding to himself with determination, he walked towards the closet and opened it before pulling out the box stashed at the back. He sat down in front of it, running his hands up and down on either side of the box. He was psyching himself up. He knew he shouldn't, but he was curious. Why would Naruto have to hide all this stuff when it might help Sasuke get his memory back?

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke began to open the box.

"What are you doing?" The raven spun around, startled. He hadn't even heard the door open.

"What are _you_ doing?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Sai didn't react, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He shrugged.

"I wanted to talk to Naruto. Looks like he's not here."

"No, he's not." Sasuke spat.

"Where'd he go?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"He didn't tell you, did he?" Sai smirked. "That's okay, I'll just call him."

Sai pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. Sasuke felt jealousy stab through him. "He gave you his number?"

"No, I took it off his phone. Not all of us are lucky, like you." Sai smiled sweetly as he put the phone to his ear.

"The number you have dialled exists only in your imagination." Naruto's voice said cheerily down the line, causing Sai to frown. It had gone straight to voicemail. "Please hang up, and don't call back. Psych!"

Sai just hung up. There was no point in leaving a message; he knew Naruto wouldn't call him back.

"Do you really like him, or do you just want him 'cause you can't have him?" Sai turned to Sasuke as the other boy asked this question.

"Why wouldn't I like him?" Sai inquired. "He's hot as hell, incredibly nice—to a select few, I guess—has a toned body, and a big—"

"I know!" Sasuke snapped. "I've seen it, too! Stop obsessing over it!"

"But it's appealing." Sai insisted with a pout. Sasuke ignored him, turning back to the box. "You've discovered you're gay, haven't you?" Sasuke clenched his fists, not answering. "You have. And now, you and I are going to have a lot of problems."

"I'm already ahead of the game." Sasuke smirked, a mirror image of his former self as he turned to Sai. "He spends an obscene amount of time with me, and even lets me sleep in the same bed as him when I don't want to be alone."

Sai's fake-smile faded and he glared darkly at Sasuke, the two of them trading daggers.

"You've slept with him?"

"Yes." Sasuke smirked. "Jealous?"

"I'll get him, _Uchiha_. Just give me time." Sai insisted.

"If you say so." Sasuke turned back to the box, staring at it.

Because of the conversation he'd just had with Sai, he couldn't do it. He couldn't open the box and look inside, not when Naruto trusted him. He couldn't betray Naruto's trust, or else, he'd be no better than Sai. So, the raven pushed the box back into the closet and stood up, closing it. He turned and brushed past Sai, headed down the corridor to his room.

* * *

Naruto fell onto his bed on his stomach, and then winced at his own stupidity as pain shot up his spine. He let out a small whimper before gingerly shifting to get more comfortable. Naruto wasn't sure what was worse anymore. The actual murders, or what happened _afterwards_.

When he'd left, the only injury he had was light bruises on his jaw. Now, he had fingernail scratches down his back, bruises along his jaw, cuts and bruises on the corners of his mouth, a black eye, and most of his lower back sent shocks of searing pain up his spine.

His door opened and he slit one eye open to see who it was. Sai walked into his room and Naruto cursed inwardly, but was too tired to do anything about it. He had to be up for classes in about two hours, and he hadn't had _any_ sleep yet.

"What do you want?" Naruto whispered, turning his head away from Sai before the other boy turned on the light and freaked out.

Sai said nothing as he closed the door, the dawn light enough for him to see Naruto clearly. He walked towards the bed and stared down at Naruto's back where eight red lines were, the skin ripped right off the blond's back.

"What happened?" Sai demanded.

"Nothing." Naruto mumbled.

"You seem to say that a lot, and yet, you look like shit all the time."

"Thanks."

"You're worrying everyone." Sai snapped. "Me included."

"I'm in an incredibly large amount of pain right now, and I feel tired as all hell, so unless you have a good reason to be here, please just fuck off."

Sai turned and left the room, Naruto letting out a small sigh of relief as he settled down for sleep. He opened his eyes again and turned his head as he heard his own door open for a second time, Sai returning. He let out a groan and turned away again, wishing the other boy would just _get the hint_ and leave him _alone_.

Naruto jerked up, startled, only to be pushed back down, his face buried in his pillow. Once the weight against his back left, he turned his head as much as he could.

"What are you doing?"

"These will take a long time to heal if you don't take care of them properly." Sai said as he continued to carefully rub cream onto the wounds.

Naruto lay on his stomach, not saying a word as Sai worked. Of course, Sai let his hands wander more than they really had a need to, but Naruto couldn't say anything. Sai _was_ looking after him, it would just be rude of him—even if it _did_ make him slightly uncomfortable.

Once Sai was finished covering all his wounds, he swung one leg over Naruto and straddled his hips. The blond shot up, arching his back and turning to look at Sai.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Relax." Sai pushed him back down. "I'm going to massage you."

"No thank you." Naruto insisted.

Sai ignored him and began to knead his muscles, Naruto relaxing involuntarily. Sai smirked, impressed with himself for having found Naruto's weakness so early on in the game. The blond forgot everything when Sai was massaging him. He also lost track of everything going on around him, because he didn't notice that Sasuke had opened the door.

The raven stared at the scene before him, not trusting himself to say anything. Sai just turned to him and smirked, pushing hard on a particularly large knot, which caused Naruto to let out a moan. Sasuke's grip tightened on the doorknob and he turned, leaving the room.

Sai continued his massage for about twenty minutes until he realized the blond had fallen asleep. He threw the sheets over Naruto and picked up everything he'd brought into the room. As he exited it, Sasuke shoved him backwards into the wall.

"Stay away from him." the Uchiha hissed.

"And who's going to make me?" Sai smirked. "He didn't seem too upset a minute ago."

Sasuke clenched his fists angrily, forcing himself not to wipe that smug smirk right off Sai's face.

"The ball's in my court now, Uchiha. Let's play." Sai pushed past Sasuke, calling back over his shoulder. "If you want to start a war, you better be sure you'll be able to win. Right now, you're lagging behind." Sai disappeared into his room.

"Fuck!" Sasuke punched the wall beside Naruto's door.

**

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**

© 2006 **FastForward**


	9. Blood and Tears

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :Screams as K. Masashi tries to pawn Itachi off on me: I DON'T WANT HIM! I DON'T WANT HIM!  
Itachi: Too late :smirks: Where should I sleep?  
Sarge: SAVE ME!**

* * *

"You can't!" Shino insisted to Kiba, holding the other boy back by the collar of his shirt.

"It's _annoying_, fuck! I have to tell _one_ of them!" Kiba insisted. "I can't stand it anymore! Naruto complains about Sasuke not being his anymore, and Sasuke complains about Naruto being straight! _It's driving me insane!_" Kiba whined. "I can't take much more of this! They're too much for me!"

"I lost." Shikamaru stated from his position on the floor. He was staring up at the ceiling, as if it were the most fascinating thing on the planet.

"This is serious." the dog-lover whined, still being held by the back of his collar. "Don't think about The Game at a time like this! And Sasuke keeps worrying Sai is going to get Naruto." The brunette scoffed.

Shikamaru and Shino shared a look, and their silence concerned Kiba. He looked back and forth between them, horror dawning on his face.

"You don't think so, do you?"

"Not entirely." Shikamaru said with a sigh. "But Naruto _is_ getting frustrated, without a doubt. It's been two months since Sasuke woke up and we all know he wants him back. He might end up going out with Sai until Sasuke returns to his old self."

"No way!" Kiba hollered. "He isn't like that! Naruto isn't a pimp, fuck!"

"I never said that." Shikamaru sighed. "You're so troublesome."

"Besides, I think his love life is the least of our concerns." Shino insisted as he pushed Kiba towards the couch before following.

"If you're talking about his injuries, he still won't discuss them." Kiba grumbled, crossing his arms. "And the worst part is knowing who's doing it and not being able to do a damn thing about it."

"I don't get that." Chouji said as he popped a chip in his mouth. "I thought Orochimaru _hated_ Naruto. Why is he sexually abusing him?"

"Cause he hates him." Kiba replied in a 'duh' type of voice.

The door to their suite was suddenly thrown open, all four boys jumping a mile high as they turned to their front door. Sasuke stood there, his eyes wide and his knuckles turning white because of how hard he was gripping the doorknob and doorframe.

"What is it?" Kiba asked, concerned.

"He's gone again."

* * *

Sasori waited in front of his car with his arms crossed, watching the streets for any sign of his partners. As a silver Sedan turned the corner, he pushed off against his car and walked around it to the trunk, opening it and taking a few things out.

Orochimaru parked his car behind Sasori and he and the blond boy climbed out. Both were wearing black, just as they always did. Sasori's eyes diverted to Naruto's jaw and he shook his head as he noticed the bruises. Orochimaru was rough on the poor kid. Sasori _almost_ felt pity for him rising in his chest—but then again, he had no compassion, so he might just have been hungry. He'd missed dinner.

"You're late." he stated dispassionately as he handed both Naruto and Orochimaru a pair of black gloves.

"Sorry. I got lost." the Sannin replied.

"Hn." Sasori pulled on his own black gloves before slamming his trunk closed. "Do you know our plan?"

"No." Naruto replied honestly.

"We're to kill Mr. Martzani, but make it look like a suicide. He was known to be suicidal in his childhood, so it will be an apparent suicide." Naruto nodded.

"Okay."

The two older men made their way towards the small house, Naruto following behind them. Sasori bent down in front of the door and expertly picked the lock with a lock-picking kit. Once the door clicked, he inched it open before standing and replacing his tools. Naruto followed the two men inside before closing the door behind himself.

They walked through the house, Sasori motioning for Naruto to go to the kitchen. He told him to find some red wine. Shrugging—and acting much more calm than he felt—Naruto complied, walking through the man's house until he reached the kitchen. He looked through cupboards and then the fridge until he finally found a wine-rack in the dining room. Grabbing a bottle with his gloved hands, he turned and headed for the stairs.

When he got to the second floor, he knew exactly where to go. There was a light on at the end of the corridor, and he could hear a man sobbing. He walked into the room, taking in the sight. Orochimaru was standing off to the side, holding a picture of a young woman in his hands. Naruto assumed it was the man's daughter. As for Sasori, he was sitting on the man's chest, a piece of paper positioned in front of Mr. Martzani's face, and a recorder in his hand.

"All you have to do to keep your daughter alive is read this into the recorder. No crying, no whispering—just plain determination. You _want_ this."

"Please don't hurt her."

"We won't if you do as we say." Sasori promised. "Are you ready?"

Mr. Martzani took a few deeps breaths before nodding, Sasori hitting the record button. Mr. Martzani began to read the pre-written letter. "Dear friends, family and co-workers. I am so very, _very_ sorry for what I've done. By the time anyone hears this, I will be dead." He paused and took a deep breath. Naruto shot a glance at Sasori, but the redhead didn't seem concerned. "It was nothing any of you did. You were all wonderful people, and I am going to miss you terribly." Naruto felt pain clawing at his chest as he noticed tears beginning to stream down Mr. Martzani's face, but his voice remained smooth and even. "I hope you all continue to live your lives in happiness, and not let my death cause you inconvenience. Good bye." Sasori removed the paper, but before he turned off the tape, Mr. Martzani continued. "And Kathy? I love you _so_ much. Just remember that no matter what happens, Daddy will _always_ be watching you. I love you, sweetheart." Sasori waited and then turned off the tape. "Thank you for letting me say goodbye to my daughter." the old man blubbered.

"It wasn't done out of kindness. I didn't want to stop the tape mid-sentence." Sasori said monotonously before motioning Orochimaru over. The Sannin stepped up to Sasori, and just as he was about to hand some pills to the redhead, Mr. Martzani arched his back, sending Sasori flying off him. He scrambled to his feet, and made a mad dash for the door. Naruto took a step back, not knowing what he should do.

He was saved from having to make a decision by Orochimaru tackling the other man at the knees, the two of them crashing to the floor. Sasori ran towards them as well, bending down beside him.

"Naruto, come over here! Sit on his chest!" Sasori ordered.

Naruto would've turned and run if he thought he'd have a chance to make it, but he knew someone he loved would die. As much as he didn't feel this man deserved to die, he obeyed, running towards Sasori and Orochimaru, and sitting down on the man's chest.

"Shit, hold his wrists!" Sasori ordered. Naruto complied as the redhead reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pocketknife.

"We were going to make it painless, you sorry bastard." Orochimaru said, still holding the struggling man's legs. "But you had to go and be a dumbass."

Sasori reached down and slashed one of the man's wrists, Mr. Martzani crying out in pain as blood spurted out of his wound. Most of it landed on Naruto, who was still holding his wrists. The blond thought he was going to be sick, but he knew he couldn't. So, he just fixed his eyes on the bottle of red wine that he'd brought up, which was sitting peacefully by the door.

After a few minutes, Mr. Martzani was dead, and Sasori tried to ensure it looked like a suicide. Naruto was told to go outside while Orochimaru put the wine back. He was completely covered in blood, and they couldn't have him dripping it all over the house.

He stood outside and waited, trying to ignore the sticky substance that was hardening on his skin and plastering his hair to his face. He could remember the time when Sasuke had done this—it hadn't spurted out at him like that. Sasuke's blood had been flowing out quickly, this was true, but it hadn't exploded out of his wrists. This was the difference between cutting into a vein, and cutting into an artery. Sasori had cut an artery.

When the redhead and the Sannin emerged from the house, Sasori headed straight to his trunk, pulling it open. He pulled out a spare shirt and pants, handing them to Naruto.

"Put these on and give me your old clothes. I'll burn them. Once you get home, shower, and then burn these clothes, as well. Understood?"

Naruto nodded, feeling numb all over his body. He stripped down to his boxers silently, the blood having seeped through his black clothing and sticking to his legs and chest. He tried not to think about it as he handed the clothes to Sasori and pulled the new set on.

"Get back in Orochimaru's car." The blond obeyed the order, sliding into his seat and slamming his door. He could see Sasori and Orochimaru talking, but he couldn't hear them.

Naruto would never know that their conversation was about him, and how Deidara didn't like Orochimaru damaging their goods.

* * *

There was a distinct stage between sleep and wakefulness where the mind can't decide which path to follow. A time where the smallest sound can jerk you awake, but the loudest sound can go unheard through the mind. It was in this particular stage of sleep where Sasuke found himself when the front door closing jolted him out of his sleep.

He was in Naruto's bed, having wanted to talk to the blond when he got home. He figured it would be the place Naruto would go to upon his return, but as footsteps led away from his room, Sasuke frowned and sat up. He threw the thin sheets off himself and stood, walking towards the bedroom door. He opened it and walked down the corridor when he heard the shower turn on.

He passed Sai's room and thanked God the bastard Penis-obsession man was out. Said something about staying with a friend, not that Sasuke had really been paying attention.

Sasuke was about to knock on the bathroom door when a sound inside made him pause. He leaned forward and pressed his ear against the door, hearing the sound again. Naruto was crying. It was just like the first night he'd spent at Naruto's place. He was in the shower—probably still wearing all his clothes—and he was crying.

Sasuke knocked. "Naruto?" He received no reply, so he knocked again. "Naruto, can I come in?"

Upon _still_ not receiving a reply, he tried the door. It was locked. So, he cheated.

Kiba had told him something about the doors. The locks were unsteady, and if you pulled hard on the handle twice, the lock popped open. It was one of those push-locks that unlocked when you pulled the handle down inside.

So, Sasuke wrenched down hard on the handle twice, hearing the lock click. He pushed open the door.

"Naruto?" he asked as he walked into the bathroom. His eyes widened. "Oh my God!" He ran to the tub and bent down beside it, grabbing Naruto's face and forcing it out of his arms, where he'd buried it. "Naruto! Where are you bleeding? Where are you hurt?! Naruto!" Tears stung his eyes as Naruto ignored him and continued to cry. "Please, Naruto. I can't _help_ you if you don't _let _me!"

Naruto was sitting in the bathtub, his knees pulled up against his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees. He had blood flowing off him in torrents, being washed down the drain by the hot water that was flowing out of the shower. Sasuke winced as a few drops hit him. It was burning hot, and he didn't know how Naruto could just _sit_ there. It was threatening to melt Sasuke.

The raven reached over and turned the handle to make the water slightly cooler. Once it was decent, he climbed into the tub, sitting on his knees in front of Naruto and holding his face up.

"Naruto, where are you hurt? What happened?" The blond didn't answer. Instead, he just launched himself at Sasuke, sending the raven toppling backwards. Naruto clutched him tightly, crying into his chest. Sasuke tentatively wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders, holding him back.

Something suddenly flashed through Sasuke's mind, but he forced it aside violently, mistaking the memory for a fantasy. It was a memory of him and Naruto in the blond's tub. Naruto had bandages around his torso and was screaming at Sasuke to go faster. It was easy for Sasuke to mistake it as a fantasy. It was something he wanted.

"Naruto?" he whispered, running his hands soothingly up and down the blond's back. As he did so, he explored his body, trying to find a potential wound that could cause that much blood to flow off him.

When he found none, he concluded that it was someone else's blood. A small part of him hoped it was Orochimaru's, and Naruto had killed him. He was just crying because he couldn't believe the bastard was finally dead.

No matter how hard Sasuke tried to convince himself that this was the case, he knew it wasn't. Naruto was upset—_really_ upset. And there was nothing he could do about it. He needed people who could.

Sasuke went to get up, but Naruto let out a sharp cry and held him tighter, as if scared Sasuke was disgusted by him and wanted to get away. As if scared Sasuke _knew_ what he'd done.

"Naruto, I need to get up. You can come with me, but we have to get up now."

Naruto didn't comply at first, and it took some more talking on Sasuke's part, and a lot of coaxing to get him to finally stand. Sasuke had a hard time standing with him, but he managed. Wrapping one arm around the sobbing blond, he led him out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen, ignoring the fact that the shower was still on.

He reached the kitchen and leaned against the counter, Naruto crying against his shoulder. He grabbed the phone and dialled Kiba's number. The phone rang four times before a sleepy Shino answered.

"Shino, I need you to get Kiba up here with Gaara and Neji right now. It's Naruto."

That was all Shino needed to hear. The other three boys were upstairs barely a minute later.

* * *

"Naruto." The blond turned around and grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, Sai. Haven't been seeing you around, lately."

"Yeah, I've been busy with stuff."

It had been almost a month since Naruto's breakdown in the shower. He'd been called on a few more jobs with Akatsuki, but they hadn't been too bad. He suspected maybe Sasori and Orochimaru realized it was hitting him hard, and were trying to make him do easier jobs. He hadn't been around for the initial murders for all the jobs but the last one. They were probably going to start pulling him in again.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were doing something tonight." Sai smiled as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Naruto winced.

"Uh, I kind of told Sasuke we'd rent a movie and hang out at the suite."

"Oh, that's cool. Can I join you?" Naruto winced again.

"I thought you said you were going out."

"I was, but it got cancelled." He shrugged. "So I thought I'd ask you to do something. It's cool, though. We can all hang out in the suite."

Naruto sighed and nodded, running his hand through his hair. He knew Sasuke wasn't going to like this.

Every day, Sasuke turned more and more into himself, but a lot of the old Sasuke hadn't returned. He remembered quite a lot, but most of his time with Naruto was a blank. Most of the time, when the raven had a memory, he assumed it was just a fantasy. He still didn't believe Naruto was gay, even though the blond gave him _loads_ of signals.

"Hey guys." Naruto turned and cursed inwardly as Kiba and Sasuke came towards he and Sai. The two ravens were already starting to glare at one another. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much." Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, Kiba, how do you feel about having a movie night?"

These words caused Sasuke to shift his glare from Sai, to Naruto. The blond gave Sasuke a sheepish look, but it really wasn't his fault. Sai lived with them, so it wasn't like he could kick him out of the TV room.

"Hey, sounds like fun." Kiba grinned. "I'll bring the beer!"

"Yeah, sure." Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "Look, guys, I have to go."

"Go where?" Sasuke demanded.

"I need help." Naruto swallowed a lump in his throat. "With Chemistry."

Kiba and Sasuke shared a look before looking at Naruto's jaw. They noticed the bruises there were going away, but they bet anything that they would be back darker than ever in about an hour.

"Okay, we'll see you soon."

Naruto nodded as he turned, waving one hand at the group.

* * *

"What is it again?" Sasuke asked, his forehead resting against his desk.

"NaCl." Gaara replied from Sasuke's bed, easily flipping a page.

"NaCl. NaCl." Sasuke repeated as he banged his head against the desk. "I'm never gonna remember this shit, Gaara."

"Sure you will." Gaara insisted as he moved to the next page. "You still have time before finals."

"Two weeks." the raven muttered. "Not enough time, in my opinion."

"Exactly, Naruto! That's right!" Sasuke's head snapped towards his closed door and he glared.

Sai and Naruto were in Naruto's room, studying for Anatomy. Because Sai and Naruto had literally _every_ class together, the two of them had been spending a lot of time together. Sasuke joined them a lot, too, since he had similar classes, but Sai and Naruto were _never_ apart anymore, and it was worrying Sasuke.

"Gaara, I have to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth." He turned in his chair to regard the redhead, the other boy just staring at him. "I don't want to hear any 'you have to remember yourself' shit, 'cause I'll punch you."

"I was never going to keep anything from you." Gaara said as he crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall, the open Chem book in his lap. "I don't see a reason to keep things from you."

"Shit, are you saying if I'd asked you from the start, you would've told me stuff?"

"Yes."

_**Now** he tells me,_ Sasuke thought with a sigh. _This guy. He's a strange one, that's for sure._

"Naruto and I—what were we?" Sasuke held his breath as he stared at Gaara. The redhead narrowed his eyes and Sasuke knew he wasn't going to tell him.

"I heard from Naruto that you've been having strange dreams."

_Nope, not going to tell me,_ Sasuke sighed. "Yes."

"What kind of strange dreams?"

"Well, I found out most of them were memories, actually."

"And the ones that aren't?" Gaara pressed. Sasuke shrugged.

"They're just strange, what does this—"

"Tell me about them." Gaara interrupted. Sasuke scowled, somewhat miffed at being interrupted, but he conceded.

"It's nothing, really. I just dream of an open door, but as I run towards it, it starts closing and I never make it through the doorway." He frowned at Gaara. "Why do you want to know?"

"I had a cousin who had amnesia." Gaara admitted as he thought of what Sasuke said. "She had a similar dream. She was always trying to swim towards an island, but a boat would always catch up and lift her out of the water."

"I get memories when I don't reach the door." Sasuke added. "But—I think going through the door will bring me back to how I used to be."

"That's possible." Gaara said thoughtfully.

"Did your cousin ever return to who she used to be?" Sasuke asked.

"No."

The raven's hope was shot, strangled, and shoved under a rug at that one word. He looked down at his hands, which rested on his lap. He clenched them angrily, gritting his teeth. He _was_ going to make it through that door. Maybe not tonight, or not tomorrow, but he _would_ do it! He wanted it to be done; he wanted to give Naruto his best friend back.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Sasuke whispered.

"No." Gaara cracked his neck. "It'll give you more of an incentive to get through that door." Gaara stood up, packing his things away.

"And why's that?" Sasuke asked, avoiding Gaara's eye.

"Because what you want with Naruto is what he wants with you." Gaara said from Sasuke's bedroom door. "But he wants it with _his_ Sasuke, not you."

Sasuke sat in his chair, thinking about what Gaara had just said while the redhead walked down the corridor and left the suite. _So Naruto and I were together,_ Sasuke thought. _Except I'm not the Sasuke he knows. I'm not the Sasuke he wants._

"Sai, stop it! We're studying!" Sasuke turned to look at Naruto's closed door through his open one.

_If the Sasuke he likes doesn't come back, I'll lose him._ Sasuke's clenched fists clenched even more, his nails digging painfully into his palms. _I have to get back to who I was. I **can't** lose him!_

**

* * *

**

© 2006 **FastForward**


	10. The Door

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: I tried selling Itachi on E-bay, but K. Masashi got pissed that I was trying to sell his character--so I got arrested :sweatdrop:**

* * *

"I can't believe you don't know how to iron your own clothes." Naruto said, shaking his head as he ironed a pair of dark blue pants.

"I _do_ know how to iron, fuck." Kiba said, exasperated. "It's just, I can't do it very _well_, and tonight is important." The brunette wrung his hands together.

"And why's that?" Sasuke asked as he sat in front of the television, Kiba and Naruto behind him, the ironing board having been set up right behind the couch.

"'Cause I'm going to have dinner at Hinata's parent's house. I've only met them once, but it was to say thanks for letting us sleep over. It was last year, after the house party, remember?" Kiba asked the two boys.

"Yes."

"No."

Kiba winced. "Sorry, Sasuke."

"Not an issue." the raven replied as he changed the channel. They had seventy-five channels, and there was _nothing_ on. How did this happen?

Sasuke stopped on a channel where a teenage boy was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. There was a girl sitting beside him, clutching his hand and crying. Sasuke felt pain stab through his heart. Was that what Naruto had done to him when he'd been unconscious? Had the blond come to his room every day and bawled over his prone figure, praying for him to wake up? _I **did** wake up, _Sasuke thought with an inward sigh. _I just didn't wake up as the person he wanted me to be._

"Silent." Sasuke was snapped out of his thoughts as Naruto's voice whispered this behind him, apparently talking about his own actions. "Must iron like ninja." The raven turned around, cocking an eyebrow. Naruto was bent over the ironing board, ironing the pants while shifting his eyes from side to side.

"You're crazy." Sasuke insisted.

"I try." Naruto grinned before putting the iron down. "Well, Kiba, I think it's done." He shook the pants out before holding them out to the brunette.

"You're a lifesaver, Naruto." Kiba said sincerely as he took the pants and held them the same way one would a sheet of gold.

"They're not going to disintegrate in your hands, you know." Sasuke teased.

"Shut up! You can get anyone you want!" Kiba snapped. "I've only got Hinata."

"I don't know, I'd do you." Naruto said.

The second the words were out of his mouth, his eyes widened and he almost slapped both hands over his mouth. Kiba's eyes widened and the two of them refrained from looking at Sasuke. The raven, for his part, was amused. They obviously still didn't know Gaara had informed him of Naruto's sexual preferences.

"I lost." Sasuke said simply before turning around.

"Lost what?" Naruto asked, eager for a change in topic.

"The Game."

"What game?"

"You know," Kiba insisted, "the game where the point of the game is not to think about the game."

"Oh, right. The dumb one." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I better head out." Kiba nodded to the two of them, his hands still holding up the pants. "Thanks guys, and have a good night."

"You, too." Naruto waved as Kiba headed for the door.

"Watch out for vampires." Sasuke called, still watching the screen.

"Vampires?!" Kiba spun around, his eyes wide. "They _exist_?!"

"No, Kiba." Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

A few seconds later, the other boy had left the suite, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone. The blond unplugged the iron before walking around the couch and falling down beside Sasuke with a groan. The two of them sat in silence as they watched the screen. Sasuke felt uncomfortable, but Naruto was too tired to really notice. Having the blond so close to him was making his hands itch to touch him. But he knew he couldn't, he had to wait until he returned to his old self.

The phone in the kitchen ringing interrupted their quiet, but neither moved to answer. They just let it ring, as if too content with their current positions to bother moving. After four rings, the answering machine beeped.

"You've reached Gage, North Tower, Fourth Floor, residence of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sai Baikan. Leave a message." an automated voice said before there was a beep.

"Hey, it's your father-figure." Both boys turned around to look into the kitchen as they heard Kakashi's voice. "Pick up. Five more seconds. What are you doing? Okay, I'm hanging up. Call me back." The line clicked and the answering machine turned off.

"You know he's going to call your cell phone next." Naruto told Sasuke.

"I know. And then he'll call yours."

"This is true."

As if on cue, they heard Sasuke's phone ringing in his room. Neither moved. After a few seconds, it stopped ringing. And then,

"_Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it! LOUDER! Pump—"_

Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled his cell phone out, flipping it open. "Yo."

"Where are you?" Kakashi inquired.

"On the couch." the blond replied honestly. There was a long pause.

"You didn't answer the home phone. Sasuke didn't answer his cell phone. And you're sitting on the couch."

"I wouldn't have answered mine, except it was in my pocket." Naruto admitted.

"And you both call _me_ lazy." Kakashi sighed. "Come over for dinner. Genma, Raidou and everyone want to celebrate the end of first semester. They want to see you and Sasuke before exams."

Naruto turned the phone away from himself. "Want to go to dinner at Kakashi's?"

"What are we eating?" Sasuke inquired. Naruto repeated the question to Kakashi.

"Ramen and hot dogs."

"We're in." Naruto said before hanging up, not caring what Sasuke thought about it. "Get your shoes on, bastard. We're leaving."

* * *

"But how do you _know_ you're gay?" Anko demanded, one arm wrapped around Sasuke's shoulders and the other holding a bottle of beer. Her seventh bottle of beer, to be precise. "I mean, have you ever _been_ with a woman?"

"I don't know." Sasuke sighed.

He and Naruto had been at Kakashi's for an hour. It had consisted of Genma trying to get down Naruto's pants eight times, Raidou hitting Genma eight times, and Anko trying to convince Sasuke to have sex with her twelve times. _Do these professors have no morals?_ Sasuke thought with another sigh.

"Hey, Naruto! Have sex with me!" There was a slap. "Ow!"

_Genma trying to get down Naruto's pants goes up to nine,_ Sasuke thought with a small smile.

He moved away from Anko, the Physics professor slumping onto the neighbouring chair since Sasuke was essentially holding her up. He made his way towards the kitchen, Naruto leaning against the counter with a cup in his hand. He was staring down into it, swirling the liquid.

"Hey, Sasuke."

"Hey, Aoba." Sasuke said to his professor as the man left the kitchen.

Naruto turned as he heard Sasuke approach, the raven leaning against the counter beside Naruto. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Naruto smiled before looking at his cup again. "I just didn't realize how much I missed this. You know, spending time with all the professors who are actually our friends. It's fun."

"You don't look like you're having fun."

"No, I'm having fun." Naruto reassured. "I just wish you were having more fun."

"I always have fun when I'm with you." Sasuke insisted before chuckling slightly.

"I lost." both boys said at once.

"I thought you didn't play the game." Sasuke teased.

"I don't, but I can't help it." Naruto laughed. Just as Sasuke was about to reply, he was interrupted.

"_Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it!..."_

Naruto reached into his pocket, his jaw clenching. He pulled his phone out, flipped it open, and put it to his ear.

"Yo."

"I'm calling to tell you we've decided to give you some time off. You have exams, and then Christmas, so I thought I'd be nice. We'll contact you again in January." The line went dead.

For the first time in four months, Naruto felt a weight lift off his chest. He'd never thought he'd love to hear Deidara's voice so much.

"That must've been some phone call." Sasuke said with a smirk, Naruto turning to him. "You look like Christmas just came early."

"In a way, it did." Naruto smiled.

"Hey!" Both boys jumped as an arm was wrapped around each of their shoulders. "How about a threesome?"

Raidou appeared behind Genma like rapid fire, hitting him across the back of the head. Genma let out a yelp before he was chased out of the kitchen, Sasuke and Naruto alone again.

"Was Genma always like this?" Sasuke inquired.

"Pretty much." Naruto grinned. "He likes hearing about people's sex lives, seeing them having sex, or join in on the sex. He's easy to please."

"I'll bet. Poor Raidou." Sasuke winced.

"He's used to it." Naruto insisted with a snicker. "Besides, he's the one who asked for it. No one told him he _had_ to date Genma."

"True." Sasuke laughed. "I still feel bad for him, though."

"Raidou!" Genma suddenly screamed down the corridor. "Iruka and Kakashi are having sex! Come look!"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and wrenched him down, the raven following through with gravity, wide-eyed as he and Naruto hit the floor. Naruto covered his head, and Sasuke copied him, mostly out of confusion. A second later, they heard a gunshot.

"_The police told you that you weren't allowed a gun 'cause Itachi's dead!"_ Genma hollered.

"_I'm going to **kill **you, Genma!" _Kakashi hollered back.

"This happens often?" Sasuke asked, turning his head to look at Naruto.

"Pretty much." Naruto replied.

* * *

The door to Naruto, Sasuke and Sai's suite opened, the three inhabitants walking in. Well, Sai and Sasuke were walking. Naruto was bouncing.

"I finished. I finished. I finished. I finished." the blond chanted as he bounced into the living room. Sasuke and Sai just smiled, shaking their heads as Sasuke closed the front door.

The three of them had just finished their English exam. It was their last exam for the semester, and even though there were still four exam days left, all of them were finished. Naruto and Sasuke were planning on returning to Naruto's the next day. Kiba and the others would all be joining them at Naruto's in a few days, since some of them still had exams and the car-space was limited.

It would be the same group as last year, and Naruto was excited to have another large sleepover Christmas holiday. And to top it off, he didn't have any Akatsuki jobs. _And_ he would _finally_ be rid of Sai for a few weeks.

Sai had begun to grow on him, and he didn't mind the other boy so much anymore. What he _didn't_ like was the way Sai kept trying to get involved with him. And the worst part was—Naruto was beginning to fall for it. Sai reminded him so much of his Sasuke, and he just wanted him back. But he didn't want to make a mistake, like he'd done a few months back. He didn't want a replacement, so he had to get _away_ from Sai. He didn't want to risk losing Sasuke forever.

"What should we do?" Naruto spun around, both hands in the air. "We should do something! We should _celebrate_! I vote chocolate! Beer! Pizza! A good movie!"

"You're nuts." Sasuke laughed, shaking his head. "But I'm game."

"So am I." Sai smirked. Movies and beer were always good when it came to Naruto. He'd never been around the blond when he drank, but he knew that if the blond had a _little_ too much to drink, he might get bored of the movie and use the dark to his advantage, and Sai would be right there to help him out.

Sasuke noticed the glint in Sai's eye and scowled. Naruto had obviously noticed it, too, because he cleared his throat before looking around. "Actually, beer's probably not a good idea. I don't want a massive hang-over tomorrow on our way home."

"Good idea." Sasuke blurted out hurriedly. Sai scowled.

"You sure you don't want some extra company?" Sai asked casually as he leaned against the kitchen doorframe, looking in at Naruto, who was beside the living room couch. "I can borrow aunt Tsunade's car, if you want. Join the two of you down at your place."

"We're fine, thanks." Sasuke replied, venom dripping from his words.

"You should hang out with your family during Christmas." Naruto insisted to Sai. "Sasuke and I don't have family. The closest thing I have is Tsunade and Jiraiya, and the closest thing Sasuke has is Kakashi. Tsunade and Jiraiya are going away this Christmas, and Kakashi almost shot me when I asked if he'd want to come to my place. He and Iruka probably have big plans." The blond waggled his eyebrows and Sasuke laughed. Sai just scowled.

Sai didn't like the idea of Naruto and Sasuke alone in a house for four days. The longer he stayed with Naruto, the higher the chances Sasuke would get him. Sai couldn't stop a growl from making it past his lips as he thought of the smug look on the arrogant bastard's face.

"Come on! Let's go get a movie!" Naruto bounced towards the front door. "Last one out has to lock it!" He bolted from the suite, leaving the two ravens to glare at one another.

"What was it you said two months ago?" Sasuke smirked. "Ah, yes. The ball's in my court now, Baikan. Let's play." Sasuke walked towards the door, smirking back at Sai.

* * *

Sasuke ran down the long corridor he'd been seeing in his dreams ever since he'd woken up from his coma. Tonight, he was determined to make it through that door. He knew the real him was behind that door. He wanted to be who he used to be.

His feet pounded on the ground, echoing off the walls around him. His breaths were harsh gasps as he struggled to push himself to go faster, even though he was already at his limits. The door began to close, the rectangle of light becoming smaller and smaller.

But not tonight. Sasuke would _not_ let it close tonight. With a cry, he launched himself at the door, slamming through it and entering the room beyond. For the first time since Sasuke woke up from his coma, the raven made it through the door.

**

* * *

A/N: Heh, this chapter's short, 'cause I'm mean :3**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	11. Okaeri

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine. Don't sue me, 'cause all you'd get is Kiba... and we all know nobody wants Kiba. :clutches Kiba with a deathgrip: He's MINE.**

_

* * *

_

_Previously: _

_Sasuke ran down the long corridor he'd been seeing in his dreams ever since he'd woken up from his coma. Tonight, he was determined to make it through that door. He knew the real him was behind that door. He wanted to be who he used to be.  
His feet pounded on the ground, echoing off the walls around him. His breaths were harsh gasps as he struggled to push himself to go faster, even though he was already at his limits. The door began to close, the rectangle of light becoming smaller and smaller.  
But not tonight. Sasuke would not let it close tonight. With a cry, he launched himself at the door, slamming through it and entering the room beyond. For the first time since Sasuke woke up from his coma, the raven made it through the door. _

* * *

Sasuke jerked up in bed with a gasp, his eyes searching the room frantically. Panic gripped him as he didn't recognize it. He saw his stuff—posters, pictures, clothes—but he didn't know where he was.

"Naruto." he whispered, the last thing he remembered being the blond getting shot. Shit, was he still _alive_? What of Itachi? Had he killed him?

The raven struggled to untangle himself from his sheets, intent on finding out where he was, how he'd gotten there, and most importantly: what had happened to Naruto. He kicked the blankets off and then got to his feet, only to trip when his foot got caught in his sheets. He cursed angrily as he pulled free, pushing himself to his feet and running towards the door. He threw it open and ran into the corridor, looking around for something he recognized. Nothing looked familiar.

As he glanced at the doors, he noticed two doors with pictures on them. One he didn't recognize at all, and the other had a picture of—Naruto!

"Naruto!" Sasuke slammed into the door, only to find it locked. He pounded on the door. "Naruto! Can you hear me?"

"What?" The door flew open to show the blond on the other side, his eyes wide in concern, but sleep still evident on his face. "What's wrong, Sa—" Naruto didn't finish because his arms were suddenly full of Sasuke.

"Thank God!" he exclaimed before pulling back, looking Naruto up and down with his hands on the blond's shoulders. "Are you all right? Are you okay?" His eyes focused on the wounds. Or rather, the _lack _of wounds. "Your-your wounds. They're gone." he said, utterly confused as he patted the blond's chest with one hand. He didn't even notice the door behind him had opened, another person looking in on the situation. "Wha-what happened? Where's Itachi? This isn't a dream, is it?"

Naruto placed his hand on Sasuke's mouth, silencing him. He stared deep into the raven's eyes, a spark of hope building in his chest.

"Sasuke?" he asked carefully.

"What happened?" Sasuke's muffled voice asked through Naruto's hand. "Did I dream it all?"

"Wh-what do you remember last?" Naruto asked, feeling his throat tightening and tears forming in his eyes. God, was he _back_?

"I shot Itachi." Sasuke said, still through Naruto's hand. "He shot me. And then—I just woke up."

"Oh my God!" Naruto's hand fell from Sasuke's mouth, only so he could throw his arms around the raven, crying into his shoulder. "You're back!" He hugged him tightly. "You're back. Oh my God!"

Confused, Sasuke just hugged Naruto back, not caring that he didn't understand what was going on. He was just happy Naruto was okay.

The blond then pulled back and grabbed Sasuke's face before planting his lips firmly on the raven's and trying to lick his tonsils. Sasuke, for his part, didn't mind one bit. In fact, he even began to push Naruto back slightly so that they could enter his room and shut the door. He still wasn't sure where they were, though.

Once inside the room, he kicked the door closed, fumbling for the lock. Once he'd gotten it, Naruto pulled away from him and spun them around, throwing Sasuke on the bed before jumping on top of him and devouring the raven's mouth with his own.

_I don't know what's gotten into him, but I __**like**__ it, _Sasuke decided as he let Naruto plunder his mouth. He could already feel himself getting hard, and Naruto wasn't too far behind.

But, as wonderful as this was, Sasuke was still confused. He pushed lightly on Naruto's chest to get him to let go of his mouth for a second, the blond complying, but reluctantly.

"Naruto, what happened? How are you okay? Am I dreaming? 'Cause I don't want to wake up if I am."

"Please." Naruto kissed Sasuke's lips. "Please, let's not talk about it. Not right now. I need you too much." He kissed Sasuke deeply again, and as much as the raven wanted answers, Naruto had looked so—_desperate_. He could wait until morning.

As the two lovers in Naruto's room got reacquainted after months of separation, neither even thought of the other resident of their suite, who was gritting his teeth angrily and glaring at Naruto's door in hatred before slamming into his room.

* * *

Sasuke let out a slow breath as he began to roll over, frowning slightly as he felt something stopping him from rolling over. Annoyed, the sleep began to disperse from his system and Sasuke's eyes opened slowly. He looked down and smiled gently as he realized what was stopping him. Naruto had his head on his shoulder, one arm wrapped protectively around his waist. When Sasuke shifted slightly, Naruto tightened his hold.

The Uchiha stared at the top of the blond's head. He had one arm across Naruto's lower back and the other was resting on his own stomach. He raised the hand on his stomach and lightly ran it through the blond locks. Naruto let out a content sigh before nuzzling more into Sasuke's shoulder, still fast asleep.

The raven frowned as the hand on Naruto's lower back moved up and brushed against fresh wounds. Well, not exactly _fresh_, per se, but they were still healing. He ran his hand up his back, feeling at least eight of them. They were lines, stretching from his shoulders to mid-back. Sasuke tried to think about what could have caused them, but figured he might as well just ask Naruto. He wanted answers to a lot of questions, but he didn't want to wake Naruto up. He could wait just a little while longer.

Gingerly, Sasuke shifted again, releasing Naruto and moving the blond's hand away from his waist. After a few minutes of struggling with an unconscious Naruto who _wouldn't_ let him go, Sasuke got free. He pulled the sheets up over his boyfriend before glancing at the clock. It was eight-thirty in the morning, and he hoped they had nothing to do on that particular day. Then, he began looking around the room for his boxers. Naruto had practically ripped them off, and Sasuke let out a sigh as he found them intact in one of the corners.

He pulled them on before exiting the room, closing the door silently behind himself. He searched for the bathroom to relieve himself before entering the kitchen and looking around. He was trying to figure out where exactly they were, but he didn't recognize anything. They could be in a completely different _country_ for all he knew.

His stomach growled and he put one hand over it, sighing. He wanted to wait for Naruto, but his body would rebel and he would lose his spine to his ravenous stomach. So, he walked towards the fridge and pulled it open. His eyes scanned the contents and he finally pulled out a few eggs and some cheese to make himself an omelette.

He spent two minutes looking for the bowls before spending another two looking for a pan. He was getting frustrated with everything around him and was just about ready to kill anything stupid enough to walk into his immediate line of sight. _Minus Naruto,_ he thought with a smile. He was still glad the blond was okay.

As Sasuke was just about to pick up an egg to crack it into the bowl, someone behind him spoke. Someone he didn't recognize.

"So, you're back." Sasuke jerked around, his fists clenching instinctively.

His eyes fell on a boy leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, his arms crossed. He looked a little bit like Sasuke if you looked at him just right, but Sasuke's hair wasn't cut the same way. They had different jaw-lines and where this person's eyes were a light brown, Sasuke's were dark as night.

"Who are you?" Sasuke hissed vehemently, not liking this stranger in the same place he and Naruto occupied.

"Your look is good." Sai commented as he received Sasuke's best glare. He had to admit, this Sasuke was definitely scarier than the old one.

"Who _are _you?" Sasuke demanded again. "Why are you in here?"

"I live here." Sai pushed off from the doorframe and walked further into the kitchen, plopping down on one of the chairs around the small table. "I'm guessing the last four months are a complete blank."

"What?" Sasuke asked, his harshness subsiding due to his confusion. "Four months?"

"You're in Gage Towers on UBC campus. Naruto and I are your suitemates."

"Fine, doesn't explain who you are." Sasuke snapped, returning to his cold demeanour.

"Sai Baikan."

"Never heard of you." Sai merely shrugged as he leaned back in his chair, the two front legs lifting off the ground.

"You were in a coma for a while. When you woke up, you had amnesia. You didn't remember anything. That was four months ago. A lot has changed since then."

"Oh, really?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Other than some stranger sitting in the kitchen I'm currently standing in, nothing seems too different."

"He doesn't want you anymore." Sai smirked. Both knew whom he was talking about.

"Oh, and you know this?" Sasuke asked, a smirk of his own appearing on his face.

"Did you see any pictures?" Sasuke's head snapped back, the smirk fading. "In his room. Were there any pictures of you? Any little thing you've ever given him?" Sasuke felt his blood run cold as he thought about it. He hadn't really looked around, but he'd seen a few pictures. He didn't remember seeing himself in any of them.

"He put them all in a box in the corner of his closet. He just didn't know how to tell you. Last night was goodbye, Sasuke. You should just let him get on with his life."

"You don't know anything about Naruto." Sasuke hissed, clenching his fists.

"I know he likes having his neck touched." Sai smirked, having learned this particular detail from massaging the blond.

"You could've found that out anywhere." Sasuke growled.

"What about the fingernail marks on his back?" Sasuke felt his heart plummet. _**That's**__ what they are?_ he thought worriedly. "He's pretty rough in the sack, so I returned the favour."

"You're lying." Sasuke insisted.

"Check his closet." Sai smirked. "All your answers will be there."

Sasuke flew past him without a word, rushing down the corridor towards the room he remembered being Naruto's. He opened the door and cast a glance at the blond. Naruto was still asleep. He rushed to the closet and opened it. The door creaked and Sasuke grit his teeth, turning to look at Naruto. The blond didn't move. Sasuke turned back to the closet and bent down, pulling out a box his fingers touched in the corner. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the flaps and glanced inside.

Sasuke's heart almost stopped beating at what he saw. Pictures of the two of them—framed and in photo albums—were sitting in the box, along with a list of rooms in Naruto's house, which they'd made to tick off which rooms they'd had sex in; the cotton balls didn't stick to the doors very well. Christmas presents, random little trinkets—everything Sasuke had ever given him was sitting peacefully in the box.

Sasuke stood up, horrified. Could it be true? Since Sasuke had forgotten him, Naruto had moved on? After all, Sai _did_ look like him a little bit. Even _he_ had thought so. Could Naruto have used Sai as a replacement, and then fallen for _him_ instead?

_There's no way,_ Sasuke thought as he backed up, his eyes looking around the room frantically. _There's no way he would just cast me aside like that. This is __**Naruto**__. He would hope and pray for the best, and if it didn't come, he would wait longer. He wouldn't—he __**couldn't**__—_

Sasuke's eyes suddenly fell on something sitting peacefully on the blond's desk. He stared at it as if it were the Holy Grail as he slowly walked towards it. His hands shook and he pulled it off the desk, hugging it to his chest. _It's not true; I __**knew **__it wasn't true,_ he thought, relieved.

After all, why else would Naruto have Sasuke's Jar of Clouds on his desk?

* * *

Naruto groaned as he shifted, his hand reaching out for Sasuke. He frowned as it found nothing. Horrified, he jerked up in bed. Had it been a dream? _God, __**please**__ don't let it have been a dream!_ Naruto thought as he scrambled to get out of bed. He paused as he felt a draft and looked down. He was naked. He had most _definitely_ been clothed when he'd gone to bed.

"Naruto?" The blond whipped around at the voice, his eyes widening.

"Sasuke." he whispered.

The two of them stared at each other for a long while, Naruto not even caring about his state of undress. Naruto wasn't sure whether or not he'd dreamed it all, and Sasuke was still somewhat worried about Naruto not liking him anymore, although he didn't show it on his face. Naruto, however, didn't miss the death-grip his boyfriend had on the Jar of Clouds.

"Um..." Naruto shifted uncomfortably, and then remembered he was naked. Clearing his throat, he reached down and grabbed his sheet, wrapping it around his waist. Sasuke just watched him, not relinquishing his grip on the jar.

"I have a question." both said at the same time. They were then both silent so the other could ask.

"You first." Naruto said.

"No, I have more than one question." Sasuke insisted. "You go first."

"Okay." Naruto took a deep breath. "Did I dream it all? Are you—back?"

"Yes, I'm back."

Naruto let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. "Thank you." he whispered, bringing one hand up to cover his eyes as he felt tears forming. "Thank you."

"I have a few questions for you about what happened, but I need you to answer the one I'm about to ask right now." Naruto looked up at Sasuke, wiping tears away with one hand, the other still holding the sheet up.

"Shoot."

"Did you move on while I was..." Sasuke trailed off, still not sure what had happened.

"No." Naruto blurted out. "No, _God_, Sasuke." The blond shuffled towards him, the sheet making it hard for him to walk. "Do you think I would've pulled you in here like that last night if I _had_?"

"I didn't think so." Sasuke said, feeling a weight lift. "But the other guy—"

"Sai." Naruto growled angrily. "I'm gonna kick his ass."

"Get in line." Sasuke mumbled, finally letting his grip loosen slightly on the jar. "He had a convincing argument."

"Oh?" Naruto asked with a frown. "Like?"

"Well, first, there's the box of stuff in the closet." He motioned the box he'd opened.

"Shizune told me to do that. There's a valid explanation."

"Good." Sasuke nodded. "I feel better."

"Was that it?"

"No." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "He knew about your neck."

The blond blushed, clearing his throat. "He gave me a few massages. I didn't ask for them." he rushed. "He just kind of—did."

"And the fingernail marks?" Sasuke demanded. Naruto winced, looking away.

"I don't want to get into that, but trust me when I say that wasn't something I wanted. I didn't cheat on you." _Not __**intentionally**__, anyway, _Naruto thought.

"Okay." Sasuke didn't like this answer, but he would live with it for now. As long as he knew Naruto was still his and _only_ his, everything else didn't matter so much.

Sasuke put the jar down and walked towards Naruto. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, resting his forehead on Naruto's shoulder.

"I missed you." he whispered. Naruto wrapped his own arms around Sasuke.

"I missed you, too."

* * *

Kiba yawned as he walked towards the front door to his suite, wanting to answer the insistent knocking before it woke anyone else up. He'd woken up to get ready for his twelve o'clock exam, and had just exited the bathroom when the knocking had begun.

He swung open the door and his eyes widened. "Did he leave?"

"Huh?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"Naruto. Did he leave again?"

"No, last I checked, he was in the shower."

Kiba let out a sigh and motioned for Sasuke to come inside. The raven complied, but as he was about to tell Kiba he was back, the brunette had started talking.

"He hasn't left in a while, and the bruises on his jaw are gone. It's either over, or he's getting a break." Sasuke frowned.

"A break? From what?"

"Orochimaru, fuck." Kiba said.

"Orochimaru?" Sasuke's eyes hardened. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Where have you _been_?" Kiba asked with a frown. "We've only been complaining about the fact that he's sexually abusing Naruto for four months n—" Kiba's eyes widened as Sasuke interrupted him by grabbing the front of his shirt and wrenching him forward so their noses almost touched.

"What did you say?" he hissed vehemently. "_What _has he been doing?"

"Sa-Sasuke?" Kiba asked as he stared into the raven's eyes. That was when it hit him. "Holy shit, you're back."

"He only told me about myself. We spent the last two hours talking about what happened in the last eight months, from my coma to the movie we watched last night. He evaded every question I asked about him, so I asked him where you lived because I knew _you_ would tell me. So _talk_!"

"Can you put me down, first?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke frowned, and then realized why Kiba had asked that. As he'd been talking, he'd been slowly lifting Kiba off the ground by the front of his shirt. He slowly let him back down, Kiba pulling his collar away from his throat as he motioned the kitchen. Sasuke walked in and sat down, Kiba following suit.

"Tell me everything." Sasuke ordered, narrowing his eyes as a warning that if Kiba left _anything_ out, he would die a slow and painful death.

"Okay." Kiba took a deep breath. "But before we start, you have to understand we tried to stop it, but—we didn't know what to do. We didn't know who to call."

"I'm back now." Sasuke growled. "_I'll_ stop it. Talk!"

* * *

Sasuke slammed open a door, storming into the room and glaring at the person before him with everything he had. He silently wished he could burn the man on the spot with his eyes.

"Ah, Sasuke." Orochimaru smiled, putting a pile of exams aside and folding his hands together.

Sasuke walked forward slowly, his fists clenched, his teeth grinding against each other. It was taking everything he had not to throw himself over the desk and pound the living daylights out of the Sannin.

"Am I to assume you've regained your memory, Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.

"You sick, twisted _bastard_!" Sasuke hollered, making it to the desk in two steps and slamming his fists down on it. A few exams fell off the table, but the two occupants in the room kept their eyes locked on one another.

"Whatever do you mean?" Orochimaru's smirk widened. He'd known Naruto's friends would find out, but to be honest, he had been waiting for Sasuke to explode. He was glad it had finally happened. It would make everything that much sweeter.

"I don't _believe_ you!" Sasuke growled. "What are you holding over his head? There _has_ to be something, because he wouldn't willingly let you do all these things to him!"

"What exactly have I been doing?"

"Sexually abusing him!"

"You have no proof."

"I'll _get_ some!" Sasuke hollered.

"Oh?" Orochimaru smirked. "Have you not thought about it, Sasuke? Have you not considered that he would have stopped this if he could?"

"Of course." Sasuke growled. "Which is why I want to know what you're holding over his head, so I can _stop_ you."

"You can't stop me." Sasuke's head snapped back. "There's nothing you can do. If you stop him from leaving the house, you'll hurt him. If you follow him, you'll hurt him. If you call the police and have them investigate this, you'll hurt him. If _anything_ interrupts what we have, you will _hurt_ him."

Sasuke was shaking in anger as everything Orochimaru said sank in. It was true. If he really _did_ have something to hold over Naruto's head, the blond couldn't get help. And he couldn't stop it.

"Don't you see?" Orochimaru smirked. "You can't win. Your other friends knew this; it's why they let it go on. There is _nothing_ you can do. Rest assured, if you try and have someone help him, he will be mad. He'll send them away. He'll do everything he can to stop them from finding _anything_ out. In other words," he leaned forward, smirking even wider, "you can't win."

Sasuke didn't know which emotion he wanted to take over. Anger, or self-pity. It was true, what Orochimaru was saying. There was nothing Sasuke could do. If he had someone check up on Naruto, whatever it was Naruto was trying to protect or whatnot would all have been in vain. At this point, everyone who was worried about Naruto was backed into a corner. There was nothing they could do.

Sasuke never knew he could feel so—powerless. This surpassed his powerlessness of the day his parents died.

"What you don't understand, Sasuke, is I don't hold _anything_ over his head." Orochimaru smirked. "It's much better than that." He leaned forward slightly, whispering to the Uchiha. "I hold his life in my hand."

* * *

Sai walked down the corridor until he reached the end, knocking on the door. There was a pause before it opened and he walked inside, not even acknowledging the person who'd let him in. He walked through the large room towards a lone figure seated at a table.

"You're back."

"I am." Sai replied as he stood in front of the person who addressed him. "I changed my mind."

"You changed your mind." The man smirked. "And what, pray tell, made you change your mind?"

"It's none of your business." Sai snapped.

"We missed you while you were gone." The figure leaned back in his chair. "Granted, it was only three weeks, but it took its toll." He narrowed his eyes. "If you come back, you won't be leaving us again."

"No, I have no intention to." Sai replied. "But the same conditions apply as last time."

"Fine. You work alone, and we tell no one but the people who already know."

"Good." Sai nodded, satisfied. "And I want Christmas off."

"Sai." The man smiled. "_Everyone_ has Christmas off. It's a holiday."

"I'll see you in January." Sai turned to walk away.

"You'll be keeping an eye on Naruto while he's away, won't you?"

"Yes." Sai turned to look at Deidara as he reached the door. "And just so you know, Sasuke has his memory back. Things are going to get more complicated."

"Only for you, Sai." Deidara grinned. "Looks like you won't be dating him, then."

"Give me time." Sai snapped before slamming the door behind him.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnn... I'm okay, really...**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	12. Slurvivor

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: K. Masashi stopped replying to my comments on how I own Naruto and its characters... he must've given up. :grins:**

* * *

A piercing shriek erupted throughout the large mansion belonging to the Uzumaki family before a door was heard slamming and loud footfalls echoed throughout the house. Shino raised his head from the book he was reading on the living room couch as Kiba came flying down the stairs, clutching his head.

"Why me?" he demanded, turning to Shino since the other boy was the only person present. "I always walked in on them, this is true, but they were never—doing what they were currently doing!" Kiba rubbed his eyes furiously.

"Were they having sex?"

"_Don't __**say**__ it!"_ Kiba hollered, pointing one finger at Shino. "How could you let those words come out of your mouth?"

"Because it's the truth." Shino replied with a shrug before looking back down at his book. "As for why you keep walking in on them, it's because you always look for Naruto at the worst possible time."

"Yeah, that's me." Kiba grumbled as he crossed his arms, annoyed. "Kiba 'Worst-Timing' Inuzuka (1)."

"We heard screaming." Sakura said as she came into the living room, dripping water onto the floor with a towel wrapped around herself; she and the others were swimming. "Did Kiba walk in on them having sex?"

"_Don't say it!"_ Kiba hollered, covering his ears and clenching his eyes shut.

"Oh my God, they're having sex?" Ino shrieked from the stairs before she ran up them. Sakura and Temari followed suit hurriedly.

"Hey, give them their privacy!" Shikamaru hollered as he chased the three girls up the stairs, Neji and Kankurou following him to help the pony-tailed boy drag the girls away from Naruto's room.

"Fuck." Kiba breathed as he sank onto the couch beside Shino. "I almost liked it better _before_ Sasuke got his memory back. I didn't risk walking in on them."

"Yet you complained every day about the two of them wanting the other and not being able to do anything about it." Shino turned a page, only half-listening to Kiba rant.

"Well, yeah! It was annoying! Can't there be a steady-medium? Like—they should put a sign on the door or something!"

"Kiba?" Shino inquired as he scanned his page. "Remember what Iruka said about me being allowed to hurt you if I really had to?"

"Yeah."

Shino closed his book and hit Kiba across the back of the head with it, receiving a dog-like whine from the brunette.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You were being an idiot, as seems to be your wont." Shino stated as he re-opened his book and continued to read.

"You, Shino, are a cruel, _cruel_ man, fuck. And I know just how to solve that." Kiba wrapped his arm around Shino's shoulders. "You, my friend, need a girlfriend."

Once again, Kiba's head became acquainted with Shino's book.

* * *

Sasuke tightened his hold on Naruto as he felt the blond trying to pull away. He wasn't going to let go of him, not a chance in hell. He'd spent eight months without the blond and even if he didn't _remember_ spending all that time away from Naruto, he still _knew_ it happened. He wasn't letting him out of his sight.

"Sasuke, are you awake?"

"Hn." Sasuke replied, shifting slightly, and tightening his hold on Naruto. "You're not going anywhere." he breathed against the back of the blond's neck.

"I can't go anywhere period, or I can't go anywhere without you?"

"The latter."

"Then come with me." Naruto pulled free of Sasuke, so the raven let out a sigh before sitting up in bed and stretching.

Sasuke watched Naruto walk towards the bathroom and he smirked, throwing the blankets off himself. He stood and padded after his boyfriend as he heard the shower start. He could understand, he felt the need for a shower, himself.

He walked up behind Naruto and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist, resting his chin on Naruto's shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"

"Who says I'm thinking anything?" Naruto grinned.

"I do." Sasuke began kissing the other's shoulder, slowly moving up to his neck and jaw.

"Mostly about how much I missed you."

"Mm. You could've jumped the other me. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded."

"Kiba told me earlier that he _also_ had a crush on me." Sasuke smirked against the blond's tanned skin.

"What can I say? Even to my multiple personalities, you're irresistible."

Naruto snorted before he let out a soft moan as Sasuke began sucking his pulse. "Sasuke, come on, the others will hear."

"You didn't seem too concerned yesterday. Or last night. Or this morning. Or just now."

"Did we do it _that_ many times?" Naruto squeaked before covering his face with his hands. "Oh, man, the others are going to accuse us of ignoring them."

"With good reason." Sasuke insisted as he nudged the end of Naruto's hand to make him move it. "We had to make up for lost time."

"I guess." Naruto smirked as Sasuke brought his hands back behind Naruto and ran them up the blond's back.

Naruto winced at the action, something which Sasuke didn't fail to notice in the mirror the blond stood in front of. He let his fingers lightly brush against the healing wounds, his jaw clenching as he thought about who had caused them—and _how_.

"Naruto—"

"I know what you're going to ask, Sasuke, and I can't." Naruto whispered.

"If you tell me what he has on you, I can help you make it stop." Sasuke insisted, returning his arms around the blond's waist and tightening them.

"Nothing can make it stop." Naruto whispered. "If I try—if anyone tries..." the blond trailed off. He then turned to look at Sasuke, a brilliant smile on his face. It hurt Sasuke to see him like that. Smiling when the raven _knew_ all he wanted to do was cry. "But it's Christmas. This is no time for depressing topics. Let's shower." Naruto pulled free from Sasuke and jumped into the shower.

"Do you not trust me?" Sasuke whispered.

Naruto poked his head out from behind the curtains. "Of course I trust you!" The blond paused. "Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you with my life, Naruto." Sasuke whispered. "I just don't trust you with your own."

Sasuke turned and walked out of the bathroom. Suddenly, he didn't feel like showering anymore.

* * *

Chouji headed for the front door as he continued to eat chips, opening it as the doorbell rang for a second time. He almost dropped the bag of chips he held at the person he found on the other side.

"Nice place. It was a bitch to find, though." Chouji was pushed aside as the new person entered Naruto's house, a bag falling to the ground beside the door. "I never knew he was rich. This is awesome."

Chouji followed the figure into the living room where Kiba, Neji and Gaara were. Kiba screamed as he stood up and pointed his finger at the newcomer. When he regained the ability to form coherent sentences, he hollered, "What are _you _doing here?"

"Naruto said this was a place for people with no families." Sai smiled. "My parents aren't around, so I assumed the invitation was extended to me."

"It wasn't!" Kiba hollered. "Get the fuck out!"

"What's all the yelling about?" Sasuke demanded grumpily as he came down the stairs. The sight that greeted him only succeeded in worsening his mood.

Sometimes, Sai was glad he was made out of flesh and bone and not ice, because the look Sasuke was currently giving him would not only have melted him, but evaporated him, too.

"What are you doing here?"

"I decided to spend Christmas with all of you."

"You're not welcome here."

"Why are you such a grouch, Sasuke?" Sai smirked. "Is it because I almost succeeded in stealing your boyfriend?"

Sasuke made to go to Sai and punch the shit out of him, but Neji grabbed his arm before he could move.

"I don't think Naruto would appreciate the two of you destroying his house."

"He'll have to burn the carpet, now, since this asshole stood on it, fuck." Kiba mumbled, motioning Sai.

"Why does everyone have such a low opinion of me?" Sai asked no one in particular. "You've all been out to get me since the moment I introduced myself. Before then, even."

"You were trying to steal Naruto from me!" Sasuke hollered. "And when I got my memory back, you tried even harder!"

"If you don't trust your boyfriend, you have no right to be dating him." Sai said with a kind smile.

"What's all the yelling about?" Naruto demanded as he came down the stairs, water dripping from his hair and a towel wrapped around his waist. He froze on the steps as he caught sight of Sai, the other boy looking him up and down appreciatively.

"Hi, Naruto."

Sasuke moved to stand in front of Sai with a growl, not liking the look the other boy was giving _his_ boyfriend. Sai merely smirked at him before plopping down on one of the couches. Kiba groaned and muttered something about having to burn the couch, too.

"Sai, what are you doing here?" Naruto inquired with a frown.

"You said this was a place for the parentless. I am now one of the parentless."

"Oh." Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, _clearly_ showing the blond he didn't want Sai there. Naruto winced. "I guess I'll, uh—show you to your room."

"Wonderful." Sai cheered as he stood and retrieved his bag. He gave Sasuke a triumphant smirk as he passed him, the Uchiha clenching his fists angrily. Naruto and Sai disappeared up the stairs, Sasuke almost exploding with rage as he noticed Sai slap his blond lover's butt.

"I'm going to kill him in his sleep." Sasuke hissed.

"Naruto, or Sai?" Kiba inquired, honestly unsure.

"Both." Sasuke turned and stalked away.

* * *

"You're joking." Naruto insisted as all the boys in the house—minus Sai—crowded around his kitchen table, looking at a sheet of paper sitting peacefully in the centre. "Fuck, I wish _I_ was in Engineering! You guys have the sweetest events."

"Are you all in, then?" Shino inquired.

"Hell yeah!" Kiba cheered, his fists pumped in the air. "I am so up for this! What's the team limit?"

"Well, we need eight drinkers, and two drivers."

"Drinker!" Naruto, Kiba and Kankurou hollered as their hands shot into the air.

"I am not able to drink." Lee said with a blush. "I go a little crazy. I also am not the best driver, so it would be best if I were to stay here with the girls."

"I'll drive." Gaara said as he crossed his arms, leaning away from the table.

"I wouldn't mind drinking." Shikamaru said with a shrug. "You'll drink, won't you, Chouji?"

"If we have two drivers, I'll drink." the other boy agreed with a nod.

"Sasuke?" Naruto grinned at his boyfriend as the raven looked up from the sheet of paper. "Come on, you know you want to. We can get _wasted_ together. Sex will be _awesome_!" Naruto waggled his eyebrows as he grabbed a piece of liquorice from the bag on the table, chewing on it.

"Dude!" Kiba clamped his hands over his ears. Sasuke smirked at his boyfriend.

"I don't know, Uzumaki. You can barely get it in when you're _sober_."

Naruto's mouth opened wide in insult before he threw a piece of liquorice at Sasuke. "You suck!"

"I also swallow." The raven grinned.

"Fuck!" Kiba hollered as his hands clamped over his ears again. "I didn't need to hear that!"

"You love it." Naruto smirked.

"Are you in, or not?" Shikamaru asked with a sigh. _So troublesome, those three._

"Yeah, I'll drink." Sasuke smirked.

"Sweet!" Naruto cheered before high-fiving Kiba.

"We need two more drinkers and a driver." Shino commented.

"I'll drink." Neji sighed. "We won't have enough people if I don't, and I know you'd rather drive." he said to Shino. The Engineer nodded.

"Right. So, Gaara and Shino are the drivers." Naruto motioned them. "And then Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba, Kankurou, Chouji, Neji and I will be the drinkers."

"We're one short." Gaara said monotonously.

They all sat in silence for a few seconds.

"I'll drink." All heads turned towards the kitchen door. Sai was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, looking in at the group of boys. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I heard something about needing eight drinkers. I'll drink, if you want."

"No thanks." Sasuke replied coldly.

"Sasuke, we kind of need him." Kankurou whispered.

"You can come." Shino said, which received a death glare from Sasuke. "But there are conditions."

"Shoot." Sai said with a shrug.

"You're not to travel in the same car as Naruto and Sasuke, nor are you to sit anywhere near them unless it is required for a specific event. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Sai smirked as he walked further into the kitchen. "So, want to tell me what this is all about?"

"It's an Engineering event called _Slurvivor _(2)." Shino explained. "Basically, it's a group of events involving alcohol where you're given a specific task, and you get a certain number of points based on how fast you complete it. Afterwards, you head over to the next task. You barhop all night, going to virtually every single bar in downtown Vancouver. Each group will have one upperclassmen Engineer representative following them. If a member of the group throws up, you lose a certain number of points. Similarly, if one of the drivers drinks, the group is disqualified. At the end of the night, each group's points will be tallied up, and the group with the highest score will get a two-year VIP pass to the hottest club in Vancouver, _Plush_."

"Those passes are _ours_." Naruto grinned as he rubbed his hands together.

"Are you crazy?" Kiba asked with a snort. "When you came to that house party with us last year, you had three beers and you were gone."

"I hadn't eaten anything since noon!" Naruto insisted. "I'm really good at holding my liquor!"

"Sasuke was kind of bad, too." Shino said as he looked at the raven. "I remember when we brought him to a bar to calm him down and he got drunk after two beers."

"I was _worried_." Sasuke grunted, crossing his arms. "And I hadn't eaten all day."

"Sure, steal _my_ excuse." Naruto teased.

"Right, so, are we all set?" Kankurou inquired. "Are we all agreed?"

Everyone nodded.

"All right, gentlemen." Shino smirked. "Tomorrow at five-thirty, we leave Mission and head back to Vancouver. Slurvivor starts at eight. We'll have a big meal before it begins, and all of you better get your livers ready, cause they're going to get a thorough beating."

"Solid!" Kiba and Kankurou high-fived.

* * *

"I tol' ya I wuz jus' hungry." Naruto slurred as he leaned heavily against an equally drunk Sasuke. "We 'nly hav two bars left'n I feel fine."

"Sure you do." Kiba said as he helped manoeuvre the two of them into the car. He was slightly tipsy himself, but nowhere _near_ as trashed as a lot of the others. In fact, he and Sai seemed to be the only two who weren't completely wasted yet.

Neji was the one with the least tolerance. He'd passed out after four bars, and they'd had the fortune of not needing him since then. Naruto was next in line, having gotten incredibly drunk by the seventh bar, but he was still walking around and drinking more—as unhealthy as it was. Sasuke had followed soon after with Shikamaru and Chouji. Kankurou had only recently gotten past the tipsy stage. Kiba suspected he and Sai would get drunk at the next bar, or at the very last one, depending on their challenges.

They pulled up to their before-last bar and Kiba helped get Sasuke and Naruto out of the car, leaving Neji still passed out in the front. Shino followed them into the bar as Gaara and Sai got Kankurou, Shikamaru and Chouji out of the other car.

"Shino's group, right?" a girl with salt-and-pepper hair and freckles asked as she saw the first four enter the bar. "I hear you're winning by a long-shot."

"I hear that, too." the boy replied with a small smirk. "What can I say, I have alcoholic friends."

"Apparently." She grinned back before motioning a table where two other Engineers stood, wearing red shirts just like all the other Engineers. Red was their faculty colour, just as purple was Art's, and blue was Science's.

Once the nine boys had settled, Gaara left to keep watch on Neji, leaving Shino alone with five drunks and two tipsies. One of the Engineers in front of them clapped his hands.

"All right, boys, how many of you have hurled tonight?"

"None." Shino replied, rather proudly.

"None? Whoa, good job. This'll change all that." The other grinned.

"All right, boys, here's your before-last challenge. After this, only one more before you can head on home and sleep your hangovers away."

"I hav a f'lin' I'm go'ng ta wake up still drunk." Sasuke slurred. The two Engineers laughed before one of them put a pitcher of beer on the table. The other held out six straws.

"All right, here's the challenge. You have six straws here. You all have to down this entire pitcher of beer with no breaks. You can stop to take a necessary breath, but if anyone at all stops because they can't handle it anymore, you have to start over. And if one of you pukes, it's ten points off."

"Shino." The boy turned to look at Kiba. "Since it's six of us, I think Naruto should sit out. He was second to get drunk."

"'M not drunk." Naruto insisted. "'M complementary sober."

"Big word," Kiba smirked, "but wrong one."

Shino took the six straws and handed them to the six members of his team who would be doing the challenge, skipping over a pouting Naruto. _Good thing we're almost done, _Shino thought as the Engineer closest to him shouted 'go'. _Uzumaki looks like he's about to pass out. Just one more challenge. One more bar. And then we're done._

"Oh! Fifty-eight seconds." one of the Engineers shouted. "All right! That was record time!"

"I thin' I'm gon' be sick." Shikamaru slurred.

"No, no, no!" Kiba insisted, everything going hazy. He was _definitely_ passing into the drunk stage, now. "One more challenge, fuck. One more."

"Let's get there fast." Sai said as he stood, starting to sway. "As soon as we clock in the last challenge, everyone who wants to throw up _can_ throw up."

"Not in _my_ car, they won't." Shino insisted as they all helped each other out of the bar.

Four minutes later, and they were at their last challenge. They entered the bar and walked up to the counter, a girl and a guy standing there, waiting for them.

"Congratulations on being the first team to make it to the end so far." the girl exclaimed as she clapped. "Are you ready for your last challenge?"

"Let's get it over with." Kiba mumbled as his head swam and his stomach flipped over. He wasn't feeling so hot anymore.

"All right." The guy grinned. "Here is your challenge. Sitting before you are three Mexican bulldogs." He motioned the drinks, all of which contained a shot of tequila, a shot of Triple Sec, two shots of limejuice, and a waiting bottle of Corona beer beside it. "Three of you have to down each drink with straws, and while you're doing so, the bartender will be pouring the Corona into the glass. You can't let the glass overflow, so you better hurry up."

"Now, we have rules for who has to drink, but because we knew all teams wouldn't have the same thing, there's a specific list." The girl pulled out a list and looked at it. "The group of three has to consist of either two ravens and a blond, two brunettes and a redhead, two blonds and a raven, two redheads and a raven, two ravens and a redhead or two brunettes and a blond."

"Does this count as red?" Shino inquired as he motioned Chouji. The girl stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"No, sorry. It's more a reddish brown than red."

"Great." Shino muttered. _That means the only person who we need to drink those three drinks is Naruto. Gaara's a driver, and we'll be disqualified if we use him._

"Okay." Naruto clapped his hands together, swaying on his feet. "S'my turn." He got up on one of the barstools, Shino sighing.

"All right. Let's hurry up and do this. First group will be Kiba, Kankurou and Naruto. Second one will be Sasuke, Shikamaru and Naruto. The last one will be Sai, Naruto—and Sasuke." Shino decided to appease Sasuke by letting him separate his boyfriend from his worst enemy.

Naruto, Kiba and Kankurou sat down and proceeded to finish the drink in less than thirty seconds. Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke's group was slightly slower because in the first group, at least Kiba hadn't been completely wasted yet, whereas in the second, they were _all_ trashed. The last group went down in almost twenty seconds, Sai proving he had amazing tolerance. Shino didn't think it wise to mention to Sasuke that Sai had run his hand along Naruto's back as he passed him.

"And you are _done_!" the girl cheered, both fists in the air. "Good job, guys. Well done. We'll let you know the results in a few days. Give you time to get rid of your hangovers." She winked.

"Thanks. Have a good night." Shino helped steer everyone towards the two cars.

Sai helped Gaara manoeuvre Kankurou, Shikamaru and Chouji into the car while Shino got Naruto and Sasuke in the other car, Kiba barely managing to make it on his own. Once everyone was set, the two cars turned around and made their way back towards the highway for a two-hour drive back to Mission.

"I think we should stay at Gage tonight." Kiba said, a hint of a slur entering his voice.

"We don't have our keys." Shino insisted as he drove.

"Still."

The brunette closed his eyes to try and sleep away his sick feeling, but an annoying smacking sound kept him from being able to pass out. Letting out a frustrated sigh after two minutes, he opened his eyes to locate the source, only to wish he hadn't.

"Gross!" he hollered as Naruto practically attempted to crawl into Sasuke's mouth. "Gross! Gross! Gross! Shino, make them stop!"

"They're drunk, what do you expect?" Shino smirked as he looked in the rear-view mirror.

Naruto had turned his body sideways and was attempting to straddle Sasuke's thighs. Shino was just thankful they were on the passed out _Neji's_ side of the car. It would've been hard to drive with them bumping his seat.

After much groaning and a lot of pulling on Sasuke's part—and Shino kindly pulling the passenger-side seat forward—Naruto succeeded in his quest to get onto Sasuke's lap. The two of them were still kissing each other like crazy.

Kiba tried his best to ignore them, leaning against his window with his eyes closed. They snapped open as something flew onto his face. He pulled it off, only to have something else fly onto his face.

"No fucking way!" he hollered as he threw the two shirts back at the two boys. They hit Naruto and slid off onto the middle seat. "Don't you be getting naked with me in the back seat!"

"Relax." Shino insisted as Sasuke pulled away from Naruto's mouth and began giving his chest more attention. "They're not going to get naked."

Naruto let out a moan and Kiba cursed, covering his ears with both hands. "Shino, turn on some damn music! I don't want to listen to this all the way home!"

The other boy complied, also not interested in hearing Naruto moan and pant Sasuke's name. He turned the volume up just loud enough to drown out Naruto's panting. It wasn't very loud, considering Naruto himself wasn't currently being loud. It was enough for Kiba, so he turned away from the two boys and closed his eyes to attempt to sleep. Once again, his eyes snapped open, going wide with horror at the sounds he heard.

"Was that..." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, for fear that it was the truth.

"I believe they both just undid their pants." Shino smirked from the front.

"_Let me out!"_ Kiba hollered, hitting the back of Shino's seat. "Let me out _right_ now, Shino Aburame! Better yet, let _them_ out! Have them _walk_ home!"

"It's Naruto's house." Shino insisted with a smirk as Naruto's moaning grew louder in volume and Sasuke began to pant.

"_I don't __**fucking care**__! Shino! Let me out!"_

The driver grinned before turning the music up just a _little_ bit louder—just enough to drown out an annoying dog's bark.

* * *

(1) Props to my good friend Liz for Kiba's new name. Loves.

(2) Slurvivor is a real event that happens at the Ottawa University. I heard about it briefly from my friend, so I'm somewhat improvising on it based on what she told me. It seemed hilarious and very much like something our UBC Engineers would do, so—why not, right?

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	13. Bad Night

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**A/N: For your own pleasure... I have, for some odd reason, started to speak like my Kiba... My sentences always end with "fuck"... and I don't know why... I mean, I knew I loved Kiba and all, but this is a little extreme... I just thought that little tidbit of information would make y'all chuckle.**

**Again... sorry... Don't hurt me... especially for the angst... Yes, it's back... but on a brighter note... no, there is no brighter note. Sorry... Got y'all excited... **

**Loads of you want to know whether or not this will have a happy ending. I don't want to say in a chapter in case some people would rather be surprised, but if you're desperate to know, PM or review and I'll let you know--cause I care like that :smiles: I know for sure, for sure now whether it'll be happy or sad. For those of you who don't want to know, good luck trudging through the angst. I salute you!**

**Disclaimer- :Authoress is unable to comment due to being arrested by K. Masashi for constantly stealing his characters: Come on! Who are you going to believe?! Me, or him?!**

* * *

Naruto let out a sigh as he tightened his hold on Sasuke's waist, nuzzling into the raven's shoulder. He'd woken up to go to the bathroom, and now he was going to have a bitch getting back to sleep. He was almost tempted to wake the other boy up for some fun, but he knew Sasuke wouldn't be up for it.

Their second term started the next day, and Sasuke was really nervous because he didn't remember anything from the last four months. He was going to have to re-take some of the exams and coursework just to make sure he was all right with moving up to the next level.

However, because when Sasuke had lost his memory he took the first term of a First year, Sasuke was confident everything would be all right, since that was what he'd passed the year before. Everything with Itachi had blown up during second term, so technically, he should be right on the dot.

Naruto smirked to himself as he recalled what Sasuke had said earlier that night. He would save Naruto from Genma by going with him. They had different schedules, now, and Naruto didn't have to attend all of Sasuke's classes, so they both had a similar schedule to the year before. If they weren't together in a class, the one who wasn't in class had a spare, so they could always go back and forth with each other. Naruto was looking forward to it.

_"Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it!..."_

Naruto scrambled away from Sasuke, hurrying to grab the phone before Sasuke woke up. He flipped it open and turned to Sasuke, sighing relieved as he only saw a frown on the raven's face.

"Hello?" he whispered as he walked across the room to put some distance between himself and Sasuke.

"Vacation is over." Deidara stated on the other end. "Next Saturday, midnight. You know where to meet."

The line went dead.

* * *

Sasuke sat down in Math class with Naruto, glaring the whole time at Sai, who was sitting behind the blond. He'd caught a glimpse of Sai's schedule earlier that morning, and had noticed he had the _exact_ same classes as Naruto. He gave a whole new meaning to the word 'stalker'.

"How come you didn't want to tell Kakashi you got your memory back?" Naruto asked, causing Sasuke to turn away from Sai.

"I think it'd be funnier to—_show_ him, if you know what I mean." The raven leaned closer to Naruto, nudging his chin with his nose so he could suck on the blond's pulse.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like dating you." Naruto teased before letting out a small groan.

"For God's sake, get a room." Neji grumbled as he fell down beside Naruto, Gaara sitting on his other side.

"Are you still around?" Gaara asked Sai, glaring at the boy.

"Yup." Sai replied cheerily. "Always."

The door slammed open and Sasuke pulled his mouth away from Naruto's neck in order to face the door. When he saw Ibiki walking in, he returned to sucking on Naruto's pulse, the blond letting out a gasp, since he hadn't been expecting it.

"Sa-Sasuke!" he exclaimed, blushing. Ibiki walked towards the front of the class, looking at Naruto and Sasuke briefly before shaking his head.

"Welcome back, Sasuke."

The raven just grunted, his lips still clamped on the blond's neck.

"Ibiki!" Naruto whined. "Do something!"

"You're a grown boy, you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself."

"What?!"

* * *

"I say we just leave." Sasuke insisted as he added more hickeys to Naruto's neck. He'd succeeded in giving him four in Math, and he wanted to up it to ten before they saw Genma. He'd never admit it out loud, but he'd missed the perverted professor.

"Kakashi will kill us." Naruto insisted as he attempted to remove Sasuke from his neck. "Jesus Christ, Sasuke. What _are_ you, a leech? You need a blood sample, or something?"

"Hm." Sasuke smirked against Naruto's neck.

"You're making Kiba uncomfortable." Naruto insisted.

"I'll _always_ be uncomfortable now when I'm around you two, fuck." Kiba grumbled. He had his arms crossed and was turned away from the two other boys, a pout on his face. Hinata giggled before leaning over and giving him a light kiss.

"Why?" Naruto asked, clenching his teeth so he didn't groan.

"Why?" Kiba turned to him. "Why?! You're asking me _why_?!"

"Did I say something wrong?" Naruto asked with a frown, Sasuke removing himself from the tan neck to frown at Kiba, equally confused.

"The two of you practically had _sex_ in the backseat of Shino's car, fuck!"

"When?" Naruto asked, honestly confused.

_"When I was sitting in it!"_

The two boys thought about it for a second before their eyes widened. Sasuke just smirked, but Naruto covered his mouth, mortified.

"Oh my God! Slurvivor! Oh my God, Kiba, I'm _so_ sorry! We were drunk, we wouldn't have done anything like that in front of you if we were sober."

_I would have,_ Sasuke thought with a smirk.

"What the hell do you think you're doing right now?!" Kiba demanded, motioning Naruto's neck.

"No one said you couldn't do it to your girlfriend, Kiba."

The brunette sputtered as he stared wide-eyed at Sasuke. Hinata blushed, burying her head in a book. Sasuke just smirked at him before reattaching himself to Naruto's neck.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Kakashi walked in. He was reading one of his favourite books, as usual, and he plopped down on the desk at the front, not even looking up.

"I have to admit, I don't know why any of you show up on the first day of term. You're always the same students, and I always say the same thing."

Kiba cleared his throat.

"The books you all have to buy are on the website, and the syllabus was e-mailed to you last night."

Kiba coughed slightly.

"So if that's the only reason you came here, you wasted your time, not that it's—"

"Kakashi!" Kiba hollered. The grey-haired professor looked up at him. "They're not listening." He motioned Naruto and Sasuke.

Kakashi looked at the two of them and his eyes practically fell out of his head. Sasuke was attached to Naruto's neck, and the blond had his eyes closed as he panted slightly.

"Is he..." the professor trailed off as he motioned Sasuke.

"Back?" Kiba finished for him before he snorted. "That isn't enough of a hint for you?"

"Sasuke?"

The raven reluctantly let go of Naruto's neck to look at Kakashi. "Yes?"

"You're back?"

"Yes."

Kakashi let a smile flit across his face as he nodded. "Welcome home."

* * *

Genma slammed through the doors of his Anatomy class, his eyes scanning the front for Naruto. He found him sitting beside a raven, who he could only assume was Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" he hollered before running down the stairs at top speed. He grabbed the raven's arm, yanked him out of his seat, and crushed him against his chest in much the same way as Gai would. "I can't believe you're finally back! You and Naruto must've been going _crazy_ with the sex! I hear sex is always better after time apart. Was the sex better?"

The whole time he babbled, he didn't relinquish his hold on Sasuke. Naruto smirked, liking the fact that, for once, _he_ wasn't the one being wrenched out of his seat. He couldn't wait until Gai found out.

"Kakashi told me, and when he did, I wanted to rush over to your place, but then I realized there were no trees tall enough, so I'm going to have to install a camera in your room. _Please_ tell me you recorded your first night back together, because that must've been _hot_!"

"Genma, I'm going to kill you if you don't let me go within the next second."

"But _Sasuke_." the professor whined. He then let out a yelp and let Sasuke go, rubbing the back of his head. "That hurt."

"You deserved it." Sasuke glared as he took his seat beside Naruto again.

The professor jumped over the two of them, sitting on Naruto's other side and grabbing his chin. He forced the blond's head up and turned it this way and that as he inspected all the hickeys on Naruto's neck.

"These are fresh! Like, an hour fresh! Sasuke, you horny bastard, what have you been up to?" Genma smirked.

"_I'm_ a horny bastard?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "What about _you_?!"

"I'm an _uber_ horny bastard. You're catching up, though, aren't you?" Genma grinned as he released Naruto's chin. "Has he started trying to make out with you in class, yet?"

"He started that last year." Naruto insisted.

"Oho! You're up to _mega_ horny bastard, Sasuke. Only have ultra horny bastard to go before you turn into an uber horny bastard, like me." Genma jabbed his thumb into his own chest, smiling proudly.

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "If you become an uber horny bastard, we're through."

"You don't mean that." Sasuke smirked, wondering what _exactly_ an uber horny bastard consisted of.

* * *

"So he's joined the Kakashi group of professor friends?" Sasuke inquired as he sat down in his Chemistry class, Naruto sitting beside him before Gaara took his seat on Naruto's other side.

"Yup. He's pretty cool. Definitely better than Ebisu and—" Naruto cut himself off, not wanting to say Orochimaru's name. He had him in a few hours, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

"His method of speech is rather strange, though." Gaara stated monotonously as he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. "You get used to it, but it'll take a while."

"I'm sure I'll manage." Sasuke smirked.

The door at the front opened and Sasuke watched a man only slightly older than himself walk out. He had sunglasses perched up on his forehead and wore baggy jeans with a white button-up shirt. He looked like your average University student, which was what made Sasuke's eyebrows raise as he saw him take his place at the front.

"Yo, Aoba!" Naruto called as he waved.

The professor looked up and smiled before putting his things down and heading towards the blond and his two friends. "Yo, 'Ruto. How's it goin'?"

"Good. But hey! Hey! Check it out! This is Sasuke!" Naruto motioned Sasuke. "Like, the _real_ Sasuke! He got his memory back!"

"Oh, bitchin'." Aoba held his hand out. "Aoba Yamashiro. I've been spendin' lotsa time wiff yer guardian'n his boy-toy."

"Nice to meet you—again, I guess." Sasuke smirked as he shook the young professor's hand.

"I'm lookin' forward ta meetin' the _real_ Sasuke."

"Aoba! Aoba!" The young professor screamed before jumping out of the way, Genma sailing past him and falling face-first on the ground. He'd tried to tackle Aoba but luckily for the latter, he had fast reflexes and avoided the dive. The perverted professor quickly got back to his feet, turning to the other professor. "Did you hear?! Sasuke's back!"

"Yeah, I heard." Aoba said as he inched backwards. Genma always made him a little nervous.

"This is awesome!" Genma hollered, pumping both fists in the air. "Massive orgy tonight!"

"Genma," Aoba sighed, rubbing his eyes, "yer scarin' mah students."

* * *

"It's good to have you back, Sasuke." Asuma smiled before patting the raven on the back. "I'm glad Naruto can stop complaining about being sexually frustrated."

"Hey!" Naruto snapped from the door at the back. "I heard that! And that was _one_ time, Asuma!"

The professor chuckled before inhaling on his cigarette and waving the two boys off. Sasuke nodded to him before turning and making his way up the stairs to Naruto. He checked his schedule as they walked out of the building and stopped dead.

"What is it?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"I'm going home."

"Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed his retreating boyfriend's arm with a smirk. "I'll be there with you."

"I _cannot_ go see Gai! I can't! If _Genma_ almost killed me, Gai will _murder _me!"

"Aw, is Sasuke _afraid_?" Naruto teased as he dragged Sasuke towards Woodward.

"You are an evil person, Naruto." Sasuke grinned at him. "I'll have to punish you for that, later."

"Oh." Naruto smirked. "Punish me, huh?"

By this time, they'd made it into Woodward and Naruto nodded to Lee before sitting down, Sasuke taking his seat beside him.

"Maybe Gai won't know." Sasuke murmured to himself.

The door slammed open.

"Sasuke! You are back!"

_Then again, maybe not,_ Sasuke thought with a sigh.

Naruto smirked at Sasuke as Gai made his way towards them, but his smirk faded as Gai passed Sasuke and stopped in front of him. _Wait a second! Why is it always me?!_ Naruto thought frantically before grabbing his chair. It didn't stop Gai from wrenching him out of his seat, tears of joy streaming down his face as he hugged Naruto tightly.

"Oh, youthful love! It has returned to you with all its happiness and strength! Naruto, you and Sasuke are once again overflowing with youthful energy and love! I cannot express how happy I am that you have found each other once more!"

Sasuke smirked satisfactorily as he leaned back in his chair, regarding a murderous-looking Naruto. Ah, yes. To Sasuke, life was good.

* * *

Biology went by with Genma rushing in much like he'd done to Aoba, except Raidou _hadn't_ moved out of the way. He'd ended up flat on his back, hollering at Genma to get off before he cut off his dick. Genma had pouted and insisted he spent too much time around Kakashi, who always threatened to do things like that.

The rest of the introductory class had gone off without a hitch, and Sasuke was forced to split from Naruto. No matter how much he begged, Naruto told him he couldn't go to Chemistry with him. So, Sasuke had trudged home angrily, knowing Sai was going to be in that class with Naruto.

An hour after the class ended, Naruto called Sasuke to tell him he was headed for Physics. When Sasuke inquired as to why he hadn't come home during his spare, Naruto had just laughed and changed the subject. Sasuke had almost broken his phone due to his grip.

Although he knew Naruto wouldn't want him to go, Sasuke waited for him outside his Physics class. He clenched his fists angrily as he saw Naruto walk towards him with a cut on his forehead and bruises along his jaw. This was the first time Sasuke had seen the bruises, and he recalled what Kiba had told him about the blond almost always having them last term.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Naruto looked up, startled, and paled. "He did that to you."

"Drop it, Sasuke." Naruto whispered as he began to walk past him. Sasuke grabbed his arm.

"Naruto, you can't just let this slide." he insisted. "Let me _help_ you!"

"No one can help me." he whispered.

"Sasuke!"

Their conversation was cut off as Anko flew towards them and hugged Sasuke tightly. "I heard you were back! How are you?"

"I'm fine, Anko. Planning on setting off the fire alarm again?"

"Don't I always." She smirked.

"Can I take Naruto home, then?"

"Of course." She smiled at Naruto, not commenting on his bruises. She'd noticed them all of last term, and no matter how much people pried, he never talked about it. "You two go home and spend some quality time together, but I want details!"

"Perverted woman!" Naruto hollered after her as she ran into the building. "You spend too much time with Genma!"

"Not enough, in my opinion." she called back with a grin.

* * *

Naruto sat in Sasori's car two weeks later, staring out the window at the passing scenery. Orochimaru and the redhead were in the front.

This had been the first time Sasori had picked Naruto up. When he'd seen the Sannin walking leisurely towards him in the parking lot, he'd assumed they were taking his car. But a few minutes later, Sasori had pulled up and they'd entered his car.

It had been hard getting away from Sasuke that night. The second he'd shifted, Sasuke had woken up to ask where he was going. Naruto couldn't very well say anything about where he was headed, and he doubted Sasuke would believe he was in the bathroom for three hours. So, instead, he said he needed to take a walk because he felt sick. It had taken him ten minutes to convince Sasuke not to come. In a way, having the old Sasuke back made what he had to do even _harder_.

The car stopped at the end of a long street of houses and Naruto looked at the two men sitting in the front.

"Okay. Time to go." Sasori opened his car door and Naruto took a deep breath before following.

He was used to this, now. It wasn't as hard as it used to be. He still hated it, and he still felt nauseous, but he could handle it, now. He knew what he had to do. He knew exactly how to make it look like a suicide. He was perfect now, despite how much he wished he wasn't.

Naruto, Orochimaru and Sasori made their way to the front door, the redhead bending down in front of it to pick the lock. Within ten seconds, they were in.

Naruto snuck down the corridor to the kitchen to grab some wine while Orochimaru and Sasori made their way upstairs. Naruto entered the dimly lit kitchen—there was a light still on—and looked around. He noticed a pantry and headed towards it when there was a 'thump' from upstairs.

"Kid! Get up here!" Sasori hollered.

Naruto bolted out of the kitchen, running down the corridor and then up the stairs. He slammed through the door at the end of the corridor and saw Sasori and Orochimaru attempting to hold a large man down.

"Give us a hand!" Naruto ran to them and bent down, getting ready to grab the man around the middle.

That was when the night went horribly wrong.

Seemingly from nowhere, the man pulled out a knife and got free of Orochimaru's grip. He wielded his weapon wildly, and managed to hit the one person of the three who didn't deserve it. The blade sunk into Naruto's side, slicing right in between two ribs.

The blond gasped as he released his hold on the man and fell backwards, the knife being pulled back out by the man. The blond lay on his back, staring at the ceiling as one hand clutched his bleeding wound.

"Shit!" Sasori hollered as he pulled the knife from the man's hand and sliced his throat quickly. Things were already ruined, it didn't matter if this was messy. "Fuck! Check the kid!"

"Naruto?" Orochimaru knelt down over Naruto. "Can you still hear me?"

"Bring him out to the car." Sasori ordered. "I should have some gauze in the trunk. Patch him up and then come back here to help me clean this mess up."

Orochimaru nodded as he bent down. Naruto groaned as one arm was thrown around Orochimaru's shoulders, the Sannin pulling him to his feet and practically dragging him towards the door. The blond could hear his professor swearing under his breath and muttering things like, "Hang on, we'll fix you up." Naruto was almost shocked at the concern, but he was in too much pain to care.

Orochimaru dumped him in the back seat of the car before rushing to the trunk and opening it. He fumbled around until he found some gauze. He ran back to the back seat and pulled Naruto closer to himself. The blond groaned in protest, but Orochimaru ignored him as he raised the blond's shirt. He gently pressed some gauze against the wound and Naruto cried out.

"Naruto, listen to me." Orochimaru said, his voice harsh to ensure the blond listened. "Keep pressure against this wound." He grabbed Naruto's hand and pressed it against the gauze, retreating his own. "Keep pressure and _don't pass out_." he stressed the last three words. "Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded as he let out a groan. "Okay."

"Don't pass out!" Orochimaru repeated before slamming the door and running back into the house. He bolted up the stairs and entered the bedroom, where Sasori was busy pouring gasoline on all the blood in the room—mostly Naruto's. He'd obviously gotten the gas from the garage.

"They'll be able to prove it was arson." Orochimaru said.

"But they'll have no suspects." Sasori replied, returning to his monotone. "We can't let them test this blood, or the kid will be caught."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Find some matches." Sasori instructed. As Orochimaru turned to leave, Sasori stopped him. "How is he?"

"It's hard to tell." Orochimaru admitted.

"We need that kid. He can't die."

"We'll bring him back to Deidara." Orochimaru said before rushing downstairs to find some matches.

* * *

Sasori threw the doors open to their base, rushing down the corridor to fetch Deidara as Orochimaru carried a nearly unconscious blond hurriedly down the corridor.

"Deidara! We have a problem!" Sasori exclaimed as he cleared a table by sweeping his hands across it, Orochimaru laying the blond down.

Deidara ran in from the other room with Zetsu and his eyes widened as they fixed on the scene before him. He ran up to the table and put one hand on Naruto's forehead. The boy was sweating buckets.

"What happened?"

"The bastard had a knife on him." Sasori explained as the four men looked down at the blond.

"What do we do?" Zetsu asked, looking at Deidara. The pony-tailed man pressed his lips together, Naruto looking up at him through slitted eyes as he breathed hard.

"Sasori, get the first aid kit. Zetsu, get some heroin."

"Heroin?" the black-haired man asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "For the kid?"

"Yeah." Deidara moved around beside Naruto, the blond breathing hard as he shook his head, obviously saying he didn't want any heroin.

"What do you think?" Orochimaru asked in a low voice. "You think you can do it? I can always bring him to a hospital, say I found him on the side of the road."

"No." Deidara insisted. "It's too risky. I can do it."

Sasori returned with a first-aid kit, Deidara taking it and rooting through it for some surgical thread and a needle. He pulled them out and handed them to Orochimaru to deal with while he pulled some gauze out. The man then removed the gauze that had stuck itself to Naruto's side, causing the dried blood to crack and start oozing again. He grabbed a water bottle from a nearby table and poured it onto the wound, Naruto letting out a cry.

"Hold him." Deidara ordered. Orochimaru—who'd finished with the surgical thread and needle—and Sasori moved to hold the boy down as Deidara cleaned his wound up as best he could. Zetsu returned a few seconds later, a syringe in hand.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the black-haired man asked, eying Naruto, concerned. "He could be really injured."

"He'll be fine. Do it." Deidara ordered.

With a sigh, Zetsu removed the lid of the syringe and tapped the side, squirting a bit of the drug out the end. Naruto's eyes opened a little more and panic crossed his face.

"No." he moaned, reaching out to grab Deidara. "No drugs. I can take the pain. I don't need the drugs."

"I don't think so." Deidara insisted. "I don't want you dying on me."

Zetsu came closer and Naruto started squirming. "I don't want it."

"Too bad."

When Naruto realized they were serious, he started struggling harder, despite his wound twinging in protest. Orochimaru and Sasori almost lost their grip on him because they hadn't been expecting it, but they readjusted accordingly.

"No!" the blond hollered. "Don't!"

He kicked his legs frantically, trying to unseat Sasori, but the redhead kept his hold. Deidara pinned one of his arms down, hitting the inside of his elbow to make his vein pop out. Naruto continued to thrash, Zetsu coming up to him and holding his arm down more firmly.

Tears streamed down Naruto's face, but not from the pain. He didn't want this. There were many things he'd put up with because he had no choice, but this—this was a whole different ball game. He _didn't_ want this!

_"Please!"_

Zetsu pushed the needle into his vein and emptied its contents into the blond's arm. Naruto let out an ear-piercing scream, half-anger and half-fear. He could feel the liquid surging up his arm and stopped struggling. There was no point anymore, the damage was done. Besides, it was hurting his side, and—_oooh, side isn't hurting so bad anymore,_ Naruto thought with a frown. _That's kind of weird._

Naruto's skin started heating up slightly and his mouth went dry. He found he felt kind of—comfy. A little weird, but relaxed. _Very_ relaxed.

"Okay." Deidara motioned for Sasori and Orochimaru to let him go. "Let's get started."

* * *

Kiba bounced up the stairs towards Naruto, Sasuke and Sai's suite, whistling a random tune as he went. He opened the stairwell door and walked into the corridor, knocking twice on the door as he looked around. It opened a second later and he grinned before it fell from his face.

"Naruto, are you okay? You look like shit."

The blond shook his head. He had dark bags under his eyes, which were unfocussed, and he was wearing a shirt for the first time since Kiba had met him. The blond _never_ slept with a shirt on.

"What happened last night?" Kiba asked as he entered the suite, closing the door behind himself as Naruto headed for the kitchen. "Are Sai and Sasuke here?"

"I don't know." he replied, his voice hoarse.

A wrack of chills caused the blond to shake, clutching the counter to keep himself standing. He didn't know if this was an after-effect of the drugs, or if it suggested infection. He seriously hoped it was an after-effect. That was something he could deal with. The infection—not so much. Not without going to a hospital and having Shizune ask him a thousand questions.

"What happened?" Kiba asked again as he came up to the blond. "You're shaking." He put his hand on Naruto's arm, and frowned. "You're sweating, Naruto." He forced the blond to turn and put his hand on his forehead. "You're running a temperature. A high one. Did you catch something?"

"I d-don't know." Naruto stuttered, clutching the counter with one hand and Kiba's shoulder with the other as his shakes intensified.

"Shit, we have to get you to a hospital." Kiba said.

"N-no." Naruto insisted. "No h-hospital."

"What's going on?" Kiba turned to the new arrival, but Naruto didn't trust himself not to throw up, so he didn't look.

"Sasuke, where was your boyfriend last night?"

"I was about to ask him the same thing." Sasuke said as he walked into the kitchen, a frown on his face. "Are you okay?"

"No, he's not." Kiba said, turning back to Naruto. "He's got the chills and he's running a temperature. We have to take him to a hospital."

"N-no." Naruto insisted, pushing away from Kiba and using the counter to help himself walk towards the door—and Sasuke.

"Naruto, come on! Don't be stupid, fuck!"

Kiba went to grab him, but the blond shrugged his arm out of his grip, losing his balance. Sasuke was at his side in seconds, grabbing him around the middle. That one, simple action caused Naruto's eyes to snap open and he let out a cry of pain before shoving Sasuke off him, falling to the ground.

"Naruto, what the—"

"Sasuke!" Kiba knelt down beside Naruto and turned him slightly, the raven's eyes widening as he saw what Kiba was showing him. A patch of blood was starting to form on the blond's shirt.

"Shit!" He bent down beside Naruto as well.

The two boys hurriedly, but carefully, removed the blond's shirt, Kiba throwing it into a corner as Sasuke looked at the wound. He could tell it was sewn shut—badly done, at that.

"Shit, I think it's infected." the raven whispered as he gently poked around the wound. "We have to get him to Shizune."

"No." the blond whispered. "C-can t-take care of m-myself."

"Shut up, moron." Sasuke snapped angrily. "What the fuck were you thinking sewing this back up yourself?!" Sasuke got to his feet and grabbed the phone off the counter, dialling nine-one-one. He put the phone to his ear and waited.

"Nine-one-one emergency response." a woman on the other end said.

"We need an ambulance at UBC right away. Walter Gage Residence, North Tower, fourth floor."

"All right, may I ask what the problem is?"

"My friend has a large wound in his side. I think he tried to sew it shut himself, but now it looks infected."

"All right, and his name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke said in a tone that promised sweet death if she refused her services because of Naruto's last name. She did no such thing.

"All right, the ambulance is on the way. May I inquire as to what your name is?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Thank you, Mr. Uchiha. If you would have someone go downstairs to let the paramedics in, that would be appreciated. Stay with your friend."

"I will. Thank you."

He hung up and bent back down beside Naruto, putting the blond's head on his thigh as he stroked the soaked-with-sweat blond locks from his forehead. He told Kiba to go down and wait, the other boy arguing that he wanted to stay and they get someone else to do it. Sasuke insisted, so he left with much grumbling and cursing. Sasuke remained where he was on the floor, wincing every time the blood shook uncontrollably.

"Naruto, who did this?" he whispered.

"B-bunch of g-guys." he stuttered, shaking even more. "C-cause of m-my name."

"Why would you hide this from me?"

"D-didn't want you to w-worry."

"So this is better?!" Sasuke demanded angrily. He then took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Now wasn't the time. "I'm sorry."

"S'okay." Naruto whispered as he closed his eyes. "S-stay with me?"

"Always." Sasuke replied, stroking his hair.

The blond was silent for a while and Sasuke frowned, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Naruto, stay awake." He received no reply. "Naruto, wake up. I don't want you passing out, it's dangerous." Again, no reply. "Naruto!"

**

* * *

A/N: I know! ANGST! I'm sorry! But hey, at least it was a long chapter, right? ...Right?**

**PS: I know Deidara should've been smarter and used alcohol or something, but I _wanted _the infection... please don't go into doctor mode... I beg of you :clutches your pants: PLEASE!**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	14. Going Downhill

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :Gets chased out of K. Masashi's house by a possessed toaster: What? I'll get them eventually!**

* * *

Sasuke rubbed his face as he closed the door to Naruto's room, leaning back against it. He didn't know what to do. He honestly had no idea what to do, anymore.

The doctor who had treated Naruto had said the infection should go away in about roughly two weeks, and it would take an additional two in order for the wound to fully heal. Shizune had been in the middle of surgery, and even though Sasuke knew she would've dropped it in a heartbeat for Naruto, it wasn't an option, so he'd gone to the next available doctor.

There had been an incident the doctor had wanted to discuss with Naruto, and no matter how hard Sasuke tried to get the information regarding the incident, the doctor refused to discuss it with him. The raven was left with a foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The Uchiha rubbed his eyes, frustrated. He couldn't help Naruto with Orochimaru. He couldn't save Naruto from his last name. He couldn't do _anything_. Really, what good _was_ he?

"How is he?"

Sasuke's head snapped up and he locked eyes with Sai, the other boy standing in front of him with his hands in his pockets. He looked somewhat guilty, but Sasuke overlooked that fact, focusing more on the concern the other boy obviously had for Naruto.

"Two weeks for the infection to clear up, and an extra two before he heals completely." Sai nodded.

"Do they know what happened to him?"

"Yeah. He says he was jumped on the way home by a couple of guys. They started beating him up and then stabbed him, leaving him on the road to die. He came home and sewed himself up, but the _moron_ didn't think about telling anyone, so, as you know, the infection set in. The doctor said he should be fine."

Sai nodded. "He didn't say anything else?"

"No." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Why? Is there something you know that I don't?"

"No, I was just asking." Sai snapped. "I wanted to know what bastards did that to him so I could go kick their asses!"

"Get in fucking line." Sasuke snapped before shoving past Sai. "Naruto needs to sleep, so don't you _dare_ wake him up!" The raven slammed into his room. Sai stared at Sasuke's closed door for a few seconds before turning and returning to his own room. He picked up his phone and dialled a number, letting it ring a few times. Just when he was sure he'd have to leave a message, the line clicked and a voice spoke.

"Yes?"

"It's Sai." the boy informed. "He's out for a month."

"That's a long time." Deidara said on the other end. He then sighed. "All right. I'll give him a call later tonight to tell him he's off the hook for the rest of the month."

"Okay."

"Good job, Sai. Keep watching him."

"Yes, sir."

Deidara hung up.

* * *

Deidara sat at his desk, his hands folded together as he frowned down at the sheet of paper in front of him. So many deaths to put through, and so little time to do it all in. And now, to boot, he was down by one member.

Sighing, Deidara hit his forehead lightly with his clasped hands, trying to think of what to do. It was obvious Naruto would need at _least_ a few days before he could do anything again, but Deidara really couldn't afford to give him a month off. Threatening his friends worked very well, but this was something the blond couldn't control. It wouldn't be fair—not that Deidara was fair, but he _did_ know when to draw the line.

A sharp, swift knock at his door snapped him out of his troubled musings and he raised his head.

"Yes?"

"It's Orochimaru."

"Come in." Deidara leaned back in his chair as the professor walked into the room, closing the door behind himself. "You've heard about Naruto, I presume?"

"I have. Tsunade told me. Two weeks before his infection clears up, and then two more until the wound is fully healed."

"Bastard." Deidara growled. "Who always carries a knife? How could he have been stabbed like that? I need that kid, dammit!" The blond man slammed his fist on the desk and Orochimaru winced slightly. "Threatening his friends won't help him heal faster!"

"There might be a way to get him back quickly." Deidara looked at Orochimaru, confused. "There is a way we can ensure he _always_ does what we say. That ensures he _always_ comes back."

"Go on." Deidara said, getting interested.

"First, the heroin we gave him—"

"It was a low dose." Deidara interrupted. "Nothing to worry about."

Deidara frowned as Orochimaru's face distorted into a manic grin. "I think we should up the dosage."

The blond man's eyes widened and a smirk also made its way across _his_ face. "You think we should get him addicted."

"With our connections—" Orochimaru cut himself off. "I mean, _your_ connections, we can make sure he's unable to get heroin from _anywhere_ but here. He's rich, so he can afford it himself, but if you have all the dealers refuse to service him, he'll have no choice but to come to us every time he needs some heroin. It'll guarantee he's always with us, and he always does what we say."

"It's evil. Cunning." Deidara smirked. "I like it. Let's do it."

The blond man reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper, writing down an address. "Get Tobi to pick it up at this address. Give him a dose tomorrow when he's in your office after his Chemistry class. I'll send Tobi and Hidan over to help you in case he resists." He held the piece of paper out and Orochimaru took it, nodding slightly to the blond man.

As he turned to leave the office, Deidara stopped him.

"Oh, and Orochimaru?" The professor turned. "I've been hearing interesting things from one of my men." Deidara's eyes hardened. "I thought Sasori informed you that I wanted you to stop sexually abusing the kid." The Sannin winced. "I don't like damaged goods, Orochimaru, and I don't want him mentally broken. Do anything to him again, and I'll have someone dispose of _you_."

"Yes, sir." Orochimaru whispered.

"Get out of here." Deidara ordered before opening his laptop to check on something, the Sannin quietly leaving the office.

* * *

Sasuke rolled onto his side, trying to get comfortable in his bed. After a few seconds, he rolled over again, letting out a frustrated growl. He'd been rolling over and trying to get comfortable for close to three hours.

Ever since he'd regained his memory, Sasuke had slept in Naruto's bed with the blond. Even the times where Naruto _hadn't _been there, Sasuke had slept in his bed alone. He just felt more comfortable always being with or near the blond. Right now, however, he wasn't _with_ Naruto.

Sasuke had talked to Shizune earlier that day about Naruto's injuries, and she'd told him it would be best not to sleep with the blond right now. The beds in the rooms were small and he risked hurting Naruto by either reopening his wound or just jostling him in his sleep. Sasuke didn't want that, so he'd gone to his room to sleep.

Now came the problem. He wasn't with Naruto, thus, he couldn't sleep.

"Stupid idiot." Sasuke grumbled as he rolled over again. "Stupid, _stupid_ idiot. Getting himself hurt and then not telling anyone."

Sasuke's door opened and he turned his head to see who it was.

"Hey, Uchiha, would you mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to sleep, here." Sai snapped. "All I've been hearing for the last few hours is you muttering and rolling over. Shut. Up."

"Fuck off." Sasuke growled.

Sai just slammed Sasuke's door, causing the raven to grit his teeth. "Good job, asshole. You probably just woke up Naruto." he muttered angrily.

The next ten minutes involved Sasuke rolling over some more, trying to get comfortable, just like he'd been trying for the last three hours. Then, his door opened again, and just as Sasuke was about to turn around and snap at Sai to just leave him alone, he heard a tentative voice say his name.

"Sasuke, are you awake?"

"Naruto?" Sasuke sat up, looking at the door where the blond was. He was wearing a pair of blue boxer shorts with a white shirt, wringing his hands nervously.

"Hey." he whispered. "When did we get back?"

Sasuke turned so his feet dangled off the bed, facing his boyfriend. "Hours ago. You fell asleep in the car on the way home. The doctor told me I should let you sleep, so I put you to bed once we got back. Did you just wake up?" The blond nodded.

"I'm kind of hungry." he whispered. Sasuke just smiled.

"Let's get you some food, then."

He stood up and wrapped one arm around Naruto's shoulders, leading him towards the kitchen. He told Naruto to sit down while he grabbed a few things to make the blond some ramen. When the water was boiling and the ramen cup stood waiting, Sasuke sat down across from Naruto. The blond's eyes were downcast and he was still wringing his hands together under the table.

"You're really mad at me, huh?" Naruto whispered.

"Naruto, I'm not mad, I'm _livid_." Sasuke replied in an even tone. "What were you thinking?" he demanded in a gentle voice. It was true, he _was_ livid, but he could also tell Naruto felt guilty enough without Sasuke yelling at him. "You could've _died_, Naruto."

"I know." the blond whispered. "I just—I didn't know what to do."

"Go to a hospital, maybe?" Sasuke stated dryly.

"I-I didn't think—"

"_That_," said Sasuke, "is obvious."

Naruto sat in silence again, still staring at the table. Sasuke stood up to pour water into the ramen cup, bringing it back to the table and setting it aside with a set of chopsticks for the water to soften the noodles.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" Sasuke demanded. "Putting your idiocy aside, you should've realized someone would figure it out. Why didn't you just go to the hospital? Why did you get stabbed and then rush home to fix the wound yourself? If you were scared the hospital wouldn't treat you because of who you are, you know Shizune would _never_ turn you away. That, and Tsunade looked just about ready to strangle you when she came over earlier. Kiba almost wet himself, he was so scared for you. Why didn't you go to the hospital?!"

Naruto remained silent. He couldn't answer that question, even if he wanted to.

Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. "Naruto, if questions are what you were worried about, I'll make a deal with you." Naruto finally looked up at Sasuke. "Next time something happens and you need my help, come to me and I'll help you, no questions asked. I'll probably really _want_ to ask questions, but if you can deal with me foaming at the mouth, I'll help you."

Naruto smiled slightly as he pictured Sasuke foaming at the mouth before nodding.

"All right. Next time, I'll come to you."

* * *

Tsunade tapped her fingers against the desk as she stared at her phone. She picked it up, only to slam it back down again, staring at it as her fingers tapped against her desk again. She grit her teeth and picked up the phone, dialling three numbers before hanging up again, burying her face in her hands.

"Just do it. Do it." she insisted to herself as she picked up the phone again—only to hang right back up. She opened her top drawer and pulled out a bottle of beer, twisting off the cap and drinking down almost half of it in one go.

"Shit." she muttered before putting the bottle aside. It was warm—not good. But, it was beer.

"Just do it. Seriously." She picked up the phone and took a deep breath before slowly letting it back out. She dialled the number, and waited.

"Hello?"

"What school do _you_ go to, the University for the Mentally Deficient?!" (1) Tsunade hollered immediately before forcing herself to calm down. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay."

"Don't _lie_!" she shrieked down the line before rubbing her face with one hand. "I'm sorry. Sorry."

"It's okay. I deserve to be yelled at."

"Damn straight!" Tsunade hollered. "Dammit, Naruto! You could've _died_!"

"I know." the blond whispered guiltily. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"Naruto, _never_ let anything get this bad again, do you understand?" she demanded.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She sniffed. "Let me talk to Uchiha."

She heard shuffling before the cold voice of Sasuke Uchiha rang down the line. "Yes?"

"Don't use that tone with me!" Tsunade snapped.

"Sorry. I thought you were—" Sasuke cut himself off, but then wondered if telling her about her brother would be a good idea. He then remembered the smirk Orochimaru had sported while saying he held Naruto's life in the palm of his hand. "Never mind. What would you like?"

"I want you to _watch_ him." Tsunade ordered. "I want to know _everything_ he does. I swear to God, Uchiha, if he gets hurt again—"

"I feel the same way. Don't worry. I'll take care of him."

"You damn well _better_!" Tsunade hung up the phone before collapsing forward on her desk. "I'm such a bitch, and he's not even my son. Oh, Hitomi, you've made me become too attached to that boy." Tsunade sighed before turning her head sideways so she rested her cheek on her hands. "He's so much like Arashi. That idiot never knew when to ask for help, either. I'm not going to lose Naruto, too, dammit!"

* * *

Naruto exhaled sharply and his eyes snapped open as something in the room changed slightly. He turned his head and realized it had been Sasuke rolling over. Sasuke's eyes were open and looked right back into Naruto's, startled.

"Are you okay?" the blond inquired.

"Yeah, why?" Sasuke asked.

"You rolled over." Sasuke blinked at Naruto, not answering that statement for a full ten seconds.

"And because of this, you think I'm not okay?" Sasuke asked, utterly confused.

"It was a loud rollover." Naruto insisted.

"You're a heavy sleeper, Naruto. Something could blow up right beside you, and you wouldn't wake up. Go back to sleep." (2)

Naruto pouted. "I would _so_ wake up." The blond grinned before pushing Sasuke's shoulder to roll him onto his back and then rolling on top of him, straddling his waist. "I _always_ wake up." Naruto leaned down and began to nip at Sasuke's pulse.

"Damn." Sasuke groaned. "Why are you always horny when you're _injured_ and I can't _touch_ you?!"

"My being injured didn't stop you last time." Naruto whispered in the raven's ear before blowing into it. Sasuke shuddered and roughly reversed their positions, pinning Naruto beneath him.

"You're right." Sasuke nudged Naruto's chin up with his nose. "I think we should call in sick tomorrow. You're injured, so you can't leave the house, and I have to look after you."

"Mm." Naruto smirked as Sasuke began running his tongue along his neck. "What kind of looking after are we talking about, here?"

"You know." Sasuke kissed the left side of Naruto's neck "A little sex here, a little oral there." He kissed the right side of Naruto's neck. "Anything to make you feel better." He pushed down, hard, with his pelvis, emitting a long, deep moan from Naruto.

"Fuck, Uchiha." Naruto's hands clutched at the sheets on either side of his body, Sasuke grinning against Naruto's neck.

And then, the moment was ruined.

"_Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it!..."_

As Naruto reached for it, his eyes widened with horror as Sasuke snatched the phone off the table and sat up, flipping it open and putting it to his ear before Naruto could say anything.

"Who is this?" Sasuke demanded. It wasn't the first time Naruto had received calls this late at night, and he was determined to find out who it was.

"Who's this?" a smooth voice inquired back.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto almost strangled the raven.

"Oh! You're Naruto's boyfriend, right?" Sasuke's eyebrow rose slowly.

Inside Naruto's brain, his thoughts were running wild. What should he do? What should he do?! _What should he **do**?!_

"Yes." Sasuke replied.

"I'm sorry, we've never been formally introduced. I'm a friend of the family. Naruto's known me for years. I just recently moved to BC, so I've been calling him a lot. Unfortunately, I'm a night owl and I tend to forget what time it is when I do." There was a small chuckle on the other end. "Is he there? Or is he sleeping? If he's sleeping, I'll call back."

"No, he's here." Sasuke replied. This person seemed nice enough—whoever he was. "Hold on."

Sasuke handed the phone to Naruto and the blond snatched it from his hand, putting it fearfully to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Why did he answer your phone?" Deidara's cold voice demanded down the line. "Don't answer that right now, since he's obviously near you, but I'm going to want an answer."

Naruto didn't know what to say, so he did the only thing that seemed to make sense: he stayed silent.

"I heard about Orochimaru and what he was doing to you. I've asked him to stop. If he doesn't, I will find out and he shall be punished. I was just informing you of this."

"Okay, thanks." Naruto had never realized how much he truly loved Deidara until that moment.

"Also, tomorrow after your Chemistry class, I want you to go see Orochimaru. He has something to give you. As soon as you receive it, you may leave."

"All right, thanks."

"Oh, and also, you're off for the rest of the month, or until your wound heals."

Naruto's heart positively soared. No more sexual abuse from Orochimaru _and_ a month off?! This couldn't get any better!

"Thank you!" Naruto couldn't help a smile forming on his face.

"I'll be in touch." Deidara hung up and Naruto did, too.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"Nothing important." Naruto threw his phone onto the table beside his bed and reached up, locking his hands behind Sasuke's neck and pulling the raven down. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

Naruto and Sai began packing up their things as Orochimaru made his way towards them.

"Naruto, I need to see you in my office."

Sai's eyes snapped up from his bag as he heard these words, Orochimaru oblivious to his gaze. After all, the Sannin didn't even _know_ Sai was part of the Akatsuki. _Orochimaru better not do anything to Naruto, or Deidara will hear about it,_ Sai thought as he continued to pack his things away.

"Okay, sure." Sai turned to Naruto, stunned. The blond's voice had sounded normal. Usually, whenever Orochimaru told Naruto to see him in his office, his voice sounded strained and laced with fear. Now, it sounded—just, normal. _Happy_, almost.

"I'll see you in Physics, Sai." Naruto waved at the other boy before following Orochimaru out of the lecture hall with a bounce in his step.

"You seem awfully _cheerful_." Orochimaru bit out as they wove through the students milling about, entering lecture halls and leaving them.

"Well, I heard something that made my day, yesterday." Naruto smirked. "I feel better knowing you can't touch me."

_That's what **you** think,_ Orochimaru smirked. He had plans, oh yes he did. After all, _he_ was the one who would be supplying Naruto with his heroin when the blond got addicted. He would just have to make sure he wasn't _rough_. He couldn't leave any marks, that was all.

They approached his office and Orochimaru looked around, ensuring there were no other professors nearby. He'd arranged for it to be this way before because of his—encounters with Naruto, but this time, he had to be _especially_ careful. Caught with two murderers in his office pumping heroin into an unwilling boy's arm—that would be bad.

Orochimaru opened the door and motioned Naruto in. The blond walked in without hesitation, Orochimaru following him and slamming the door before locking it.

"What the—" Naruto was grabbed before he could say anything else, Tobi and Hidan slamming him face-first against the wall and pinning him there. "What the fuck is going on?!"

"You brought it?" Orochimaru asked as he walked briskly to his desk.

"Yeah, it's in the bag." Tobi replied as Orochimaru scanned his desk. He found the small plastic bag and pulled out its contents. A single needle.

"Double the dosage?" Orochimaru asked as he pulled the cap off the end and flicked the side.

"Dosage?!" Naruto asked worriedly, trying to turn his head the other way so he could see Orochimaru, but being held too firmly. "What's going on?!"

"Yes." Tobi replied, ignoring Naruto. "Two more hits and he should be crawling back for more."

"Excellent." Orochimaru grinned as he made his way towards Naruto, the blond struggling.

"Stay away from me!" he hollered, even though he didn't know how close Orochimaru was. "Don't!"

Hidan wrenched Naruto's arm out from between their bodies and Tobi held him more firmly against the wall. Hidan held his arm roughly, slapping the inside of his elbow to make a vein pop out as Orochimaru positioned himself accordingly.

Once everything was set, the Sannin reached over and injected the drug into Naruto's system, the blond beginning to sob. It only took a few seconds before a feeling of euphoria slowly crept through Naruto's system. Once the blond's tense muscles had relaxed, Tobi and Hidan let him go. He merely turned and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as the drug flowed through his system.

"You may leave." Orochimaru said with a small smile as he stared at the blond boy.

"We were told not to leave him alone with you." Orochimaru turned to Tobi sharply.

"What?"

"Deidara's orders." Hidan agreed, giving Orochimaru a look that clearly told him to back off. Orochimaru growled, but nodded.

"Fine. Take him home."

Hidan and Tobi flanked the blond boy, ushering him towards the door.

_Doesn't matter, _Orochimaru thought as he paced his office. _Soon, he'll be **begging** me for the stuff. And then, I can have my fun._

* * *

(1) Must give props. This line was said to one of my dormmates last year by her father. I won't disclose the name, because I don't think she'd want me to, but just know I give props to this person's father, because THIS is an awesome line!

(2) True story. Happened between my friend and I. I was Sasuke, she was Naruto, lmao.

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	15. I'll Do Anything

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**A/N: It's just occurred to me that loads of people RECOGNIZE Naruto's ringtone, but can't place it... So, I will end your suffering. Black-Eyed Peas.**

**Disclaimer: Sure, K. Masashi could TRY to sue me... but he wouldn't get very much... except my Kiba keychain. :Clutches Kiba keychain: YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!**

* * *

Naruto groaned as he rolled over in bed. Something was wrong; he knew it. _Fuck, why do they keep __**giving**__ me that shit?_ Naruto thought, annoyed. After all, he'd been too panicked in Orochimaru's office to actually _listen _to their conversation past the word 'dosage'.

It had been a few hours—Naruto wasn't sure how many—since then, and now, he felt like shit. Complete and utter shit. He didn't recall any other time in his life where he'd _ever_ felt this bad. _Whatever happens, I __**won't**__ get addicted. I won't, I won't, I won't!_ Naruto reassured himself. He would _not_ get addicted.

"Naruto?" The blond turned and immediately regretted it as his vision swam and he felt like he was going to hurl.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, go away." he snapped.

Sai let out an annoyed growl, crossing his arms on the other side of Naruto's door. "You could be a little _nicer_ to me, you know! I'm just _concerned_!"

"Sai, I feel like shit right now, so please, just go away." Naruto bit out, pulling his blankets up over his head.

Gritting his teeth, Sai turned and walked back to his room, slamming the door. While Naruto was like that and Sasuke was out, Sai figured he might as well talk to Deidara about Orochimaru.

He picked up his phone and dialled the number, listening to it ring a few times before the blond man answered.

"Yes?"

"It's Sai. Orochimaru called Naruto to his office today after class."

"Yes, I told him to." Deidara informed. "We're taking extra precautions to ensure he stays with the Akatsuki."

Sai frowned at this. "What kind of precautions?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Sai."

Deidara hung up on him and Sai let out a growl. Something was wrong with Naruto, and he didn't like that.

Sai heard the front door slam and his head snapped up. Quietly, he hung up the phone and headed for his door, peeking out. Sasuke went straight to Naruto's room, as usual. He knocked on the door.

"Moron, it's me. Why didn't you meet me at the bus loop?" Sasuke inquired.

"Fuck off, Sasuke." came the muffled reply.

Sasuke's head snapped back and Sai's eyebrows shot into his hairline. Had—had Naruto just told _Sasuke_ to fuck off? If Sai hadn't been so worried about the blond, he would've broken out into song and dance!

Sai then retreated slightly as Sasuke turned and stormed towards his room. Had Sai remained by the door, he would've been knocked into the wall from the force Sasuke used to slam it open.

"What did you do?" Sasuke hollered, grabbing the front of Sai's shirt and pulling him close to his face.

"I didn't _do_ anything." Sai snapped, pushing the other boy away. "He's been like that since I got home."

"Well, you _had_ to have done _something_!" Sasuke snapped angrily, clenching his fists.

"Right, because _I'm_ the one sexually abusing him!" Sai exploded.

Sasuke's head snapped back before his eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"

"Do I look _blind_ to you, _Uchiha_?" Sai spat. "I didn't _do_ anything. You're just looking for someone to blame because there's nothing you can do to help him! Why don't you think of blaming _yourself_, for a change!" Sai pushed Sasuke out of his room and slammed the door in his face.

* * *

Naruto's breath came in sharp gasps as he rolled over in bed, clutching his sheets tightly. It had been one week since Tobi, Hidan and Orochimaru had administered him with heroin, and since then, they'd done it another two times. Naruto was beginning to worry.

"I won't get addicted." he whispered aloud with a gasp, tightening his grip on his sheets. "I won't. I won't. I won't."

He looked over at his door quickly, to ensure no one was there. He'd locked it and wedged his chair under the doorknob to ensure no one came in. So far, it was working.

He felt bad about not talking to Sasuke about this, but he didn't want to get the raven involved. He knew he was hurting him, but Naruto would rather have Sasuke hate him than have Sasuke _die_ because of him. Then again, Naruto seemed to forget that just last year, he'd been willing to die for Sasuke. It just didn't occur to him that Sasuke would be willing to return the favour.

"_Pump it! LOUDER! Pump it! LOUDER!"_

Naruto scrambled for his phone, grabbing it in shaking hands before flipping it open and putting it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked urgently, although he didn't understand why.

"Hello, Naruto." Orochimaru's smooth voice rang down the line. "How are you feeling?"

The blond's grip tightened on his phone as he gritted his teeth. "When's our next job?"

"Oh, I'm not calling about a job, Uzumaki." Naruto could hear the smirk in his tone.

"Then what do you want?"

"Meet me in the parking lot." Orochimaru ordered.

"And if I don't?"

"Mr. Okamoto." Naruto's blood ran cold.

_That's right,_ he thought sadly. _He knows about me trying to save Mr. Okamoto. If he tells Deidara—everyone will die._

"I'll be there in two minutes." Naruto whispered.

"Bring your car keys." Orochimaru said before the blond snapped his phone shut and put it back on the table beside his bed. He stared down at his hands for a few seconds, not even really looking at them, but looking _through_ them. When he finally focused on them properly, he noticed they were shaking. And shaking _badly_.

Growling, Naruto clenched his fists before pushing himself to his feet and grabbing a pair of jeans off the floor. He pulled them on quickly before grabbing a shirt and yanking it over his head. Grabbing his keys, he silently crept to his door and removed the chair, inching open his already unlocked door—courtesy of Sai, he guessed.

He poked his head out of his room and looked down the corridor. Both Sai _and_ Sasuke's doors were open. He cursed, knowing it was because they were both light sleepers and would wake up the _second_ they heard the front door open.

_Great,_ Naruto thought, annoyed. _**Now**__ what?_

He stood in his doorway for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. He would have to chance it—and just be insanely quiet. Which was going to be hard, considering he couldn't stop shaking. Something told him it wasn't because he was scared, or cold.

Naruto made his way silently to the door and turned the lock. The click seemed to echo throughout the apartment and Naruto held his breath. Nothing stirred, so he let out a sigh and pulled open the door. He left the suite, closing the door silently behind him.

There was no way for the blond to know that his two suitemates had opened their eyes, stirred from their sleep, the second Naruto had opened his bedroom door.

Without the knowledge of his roommates being awake, Naruto went to the stairwell and hurriedly made his way downstairs, rushing out of the building and into the parking lot. He saw no one there, at first, but a shadow suddenly moved by his car. Shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans, Naruto made his way towards Orochimaru, the professor smirking at him.

"What do you want?" Naruto demanded. "If you want anything sexual, forget it. Deidara _told_ you that you couldn't touch me."

"This is true." Orochimaru smirked. "I couldn't touch you without your own permission, that is."

"And you'll never get it."

"Are you sure about that?" Orochimaru pulled out a needle, holding it up for Naruto to see.

The second he did, Naruto felt something clawing at his stomach. His brain threatened to overload, his blood pumped faster through his veins, and his hands shook to reach out and take it. _No!_ the blond hollered to himself internally. _You __**don't**__ need that! You don't __**want**__ it! Just turn around and walk away! Do it!_

But no matter how much he ordered his legs to move; no matter how hard he tried to turn around—he couldn't. He was rooted to the spot, his eyes locked on the needle in Orochimaru's hand.

"You want it, don't you?" Orochimaru held it out closer to Naruto and it took all his self-control not to reach out and grab it from the Sannin's hand. "Come on, take it."

"I don't need that." Naruto forced out, the clawing in his stomach intensifying.

"Your mouth says no, but your body doesn't agree with that." Orochimaru smirked. "You _know_ you want it."

It was true. God help him, he _did_ want it. Four doses, and Naruto wanted this drug. Dammit, he thought he was _stronger_ than that! How could he let this happen to himself?

"Well?" Naruto forced his eyes away from the drug to look at Orochimaru. "Do you want it, or not?"

"No." Naruto bit out. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, in his opinion.

"All right. If you're sure." Orochimaru shrugged before returning the drug to his coat pocket. Naruto watched, horrified, as Orochimaru turned and began to walk away.

_No, no, no, no..._ The word repeated itself in Naruto's head. _Don't let him walk away! Don't let him take it!_ Naruto grit his teeth, forcing his body to move back towards Gage Towers. To move back towards his room.

Instead, he moved forward. He broke into a run, grabbing Orochimaru's arm and clutching it tightly as he began to shake. Orochimaru just looked down at him, a sadistic smirk on his face and a glint in his eyes.

"Please..." Naruto begged, even though he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted. "Please..."

"You want it?" Orochimaru asked, smoothing back some of the blond's hair.

With a shaky breath, Naruto nodded. "I want it. Give it to me!"

"Now, now. Be patient." Orochimaru smirked. "If you want this, first, you have to do something for me."

"Anything." Naruto whispered. "I'll do anything. Just give it to me."

* * *

"What are they doing?" Sasuke muttered as he squinted his eyes.

"Too dark to tell." Sai replied, leaning over the balcony even more. "It looks like they're just talking."

"No, really, Einstein?" Sasuke snapped. "You get into University with that sharp brain of yours?" Sai turned to him, glaring viciously.

"You could've stopped him from leaving!"

"So could you!" Sasuke snapped.

"He hates me! Why the fuck would he listen to _me_?" Sai reminded him angrily before looking over the side again. Sasuke growled, but did the same, the two of them watching in silence.

To them, from the fourth floor balcony, it appeared that Orochimaru merely had his hand out towards Naruto. But anyone on the first floor would've been able to see the needle he was holding out. It was too bad the two ravens couldn't see it.

As Sai watched the two of them interact, a frown marred his features. They couldn't be talking about their next job, because Sai knew for a fact that only Deidara and Sasori were to talk to him about that. Orochimaru had no reason to talk to Naruto outside of class at _all_. So what exactly was going on?

Sasuke and Sai both let out breaths they'd never known they were holding as Orochimaru turned and walked away. To them, it appeared to be over, and Naruto would be back upstairs within seconds. But then, to their horror, Naruto ran after Orochimaru, clutching his arm tightly.

Sasuke had had enough. He turned and bolted for the suite door. Sai ran after him, tackling him to the ground. Whatever happened downstairs, he couldn't let Sasuke interfere. He hated the raven, but Naruto cared about him. Naruto was doing things he didn't want to in order to keep Sasuke safe. Sai wasn't going to let Naruto's efforts be for nothing.

"Let me go, you fucking asshole!" Sasuke hollered as he struggled to get free.

"No, you can't do anything!" Sai yelled back.

"Watch me!"

"You'll hurt him!" Sasuke froze, turning to look at Sai, stunned. "If you do anything to try and help him, all you'll do is hurt him. It'll make everything he's done be for nothing. You _cannot_ intervene."

"You know." Sasuke hissed vehemently. "You know what's happening!"

"No, I don't." Sai lied. "I was outside uncle Orochimaru's office that day you went to talk to him when you got your memory back. I had to discuss my extra credit coursework with him. I heard everything."

"So why aren't you helping me help him?" Sasuke hissed.

"Because we _can't_! Weren't you _listening_ to uncle Orochimaru?" Sai hollered. "If we _do_ anything, we'll hurt Naruto. Is that what you want?"

Both heads snapped towards the balcony as they heard an engine turn over. Sai scrambled to his feet, Sasuke close behind and they both ran to the balcony, looking over the side. Naruto's Viper was pulling out of the parking lot, turning onto the street and disappearing into the night.

"We have to stop this." Sasuke whispered.

_We can't, _Sai thought sadly. _He lost this battle the second his mother became part of the Akatsuki._

* * *

Naruto silently opened the suite door, poking his head in. It was still dark, but the sun was beginning to rise, a soft glow illuminating the suite. He entered and closed the door behind himself before inching silently towards his room, feeling better than he had in the last week. Of course, this could be due to the fact that he still had heroin in his system.

It was strange, but to Naruto, the sex with Orochimaru hadn't been that bad. In fact, it had been kind of—nice. He'd felt really warm and relaxed the whole way through, and Orochimaru had _definitely_ been gentler than usual. Naruto didn't think he'd mind it so much, anymore. Of course, he'd feel bad for cheating on Sasuke, but Orochimaru had something Sasuke didn't. He had something Naruto wanted. And if doing what Orochimaru asked was the only way to get it, then Naruto would do it.

The blond reached his room and opened the door, freezing as he saw Sasuke sitting on his bed with his arms crossed.

"Where have you been?" the raven snapped.

"I didn't know you were awake." Naruto replied evenly.

"Where _were_ you?" Sasuke demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Nowhere."

"You disappeared into thin air? My, how impressive." Sasuke spat as he got to his feet and walked up to Naruto. He opened his mouth to say something else when Naruto grabbed his face and kissed him. Sasuke tried to pull back, but the blond wouldn't let him.

The raven finally pushed him away, staring at Naruto, both concerned and slightly angry. "Why are you avoiding the subject?"

"It's not important." Naruto went to kiss him again, but Sasuke held him back with one hand against his chest.

"This isn't like you!" Sasuke searched his eyes. "You look a little flushed. Are you okay?"

"Never better." Naruto insisted.

Sasuke's free hand came up to check Naruto's forehead. He felt a little warm, but nothing extreme. His eyes were a little unfocused, too, but Sasuke just assumed the blond was tired.

Naruto went to kiss him again, but Sasuke moved slightly so Naruto kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Fuck, what is _wrong_ with you? You're never like this!" Sasuke exclaimed as he moved away from Naruto.

There were times where Naruto acting like this would turn Sasuke on. Right now was not one of those times. Something was wrong with the blond, and the Uchiha wasn't going to let him do _anything_ until he found out what it was.

"Why the change of heart?" Naruto smirked. "I thought you liked me this way."

"You didn't want a fake Sasuke, well _I_ don't want a fake Naruto." Sasuke shoved past Naruto. "Come get me when you're back to your senses." he snapped over his shoulder before slamming his bedroom door.

* * *

Kiba opened the door to his suite, rubbing the back of his neck before throwing his bag on the floor by the door, closing it behind himself. He headed for the kitchen to get a drink when he noticed Sasuke sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels.

"Hey." he said uncertainly.

"Hi." Sasuke snapped.

"You're here again."

"Way to state the obvious."

"Don't get mad at me, fuck." Kiba snapped irritably as he walked into the kitchen. "If you want to make up with him so badly, go talk to him!"

"Not when he's like that." Sasuke grumbled.

Kiba sighed as he got himself a glass of water and then walked back into the living room. He sat down beside the angered raven, who was currently taking out his frustrations on the television remote. Kiba put his glass down, pried the remote from Sasuke's hand and turned off the television.

"Sasuke, this has to stop." Kiba insisted. "You've been staying in our suite for the last week, now, and something is _obviously _wrong with Naruto. Can you honestly just sit here and not do anything about it?"

"Why don't _you_ go fix it, then?" Sasuke grumbled as he crossed his arms and attempted to burn holes into the coffee table in front of him with his eyes.

"He won't listen to me, fuck." Kiba sighed.

"Yeah, well apparently, he won't listen to me, either." Sasuke snapped before pushing himself to his feet. "I'll go see Gaara and Neji if my presence here bothers you so much." he said as he stalked towards the door.

"Sasuke, it's not that, and you know it!" Kiba insisted angrily as he got to his feet, chasing the other boy.

Sasuke stormed out of the suite and went towards the stairs. He threw open the door and just as he was about to go down to Neji's, he heard a voice in the stairwell. A voice he recognized.

"Hey, it's me." Sasuke frowned as he flattened himself against the wall, listening hard as Sai spoke from the level above, his voice echoing slightly in the stairwell. "Yes, I'm still watching him. It's taking its toll on him, but he should hold up." Sasuke's frown deepened. "No, no new developments. Nothing you don't already know, anyway."

"Sasuke." The raven jumped a mile high as he turned around to see Kiba in the doorway to the stairwell. "Stop being a douche and talk to your boyfriend."

"Fuck off." Sasuke snapped, Sai's conversation already dissipating in his mind as he turned around and walked down the stairs. "If anyone's looking for me, I'm hanging out at Neji and Gaara's."

The raven reached the second floor and pushed the door that lead into the hallway. He knocked on the only door there, and was happy to be greeted by Neji as opposed to Lee or Kankurou. He wasn't in the mood for hyperness right now.

"Uchiha." Neji greeted.

"I'm crashing here for a while." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, as if daring the other boy to tell him otherwise.

"You and Uzumaki still fighting?" Neji inquired as he moved aside to let the other boy in. Sasuke walked past him without answering his question.

"I need to use your bathroom."

Sasuke headed down the hall and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. He relieved himself and then began to wash his hands, feeling a hollow emptiness in his chest he hadn't felt since Itachi had been alive. As he turned to dry his hands, his eyes caught sight of a razor on the edge of the shower.

Before he knew what he was doing, he found the razor in his hand and stared at it for a long while, feeling much like he had the year before when he'd found Naruto's army knife. It was begging to be used. Begging for him to end it all. After all, without Naruto to keep him sane, what else did he have left?

Honestly, to him—he had nothing.

The Uchiha struggled with the razor for a little while, cursing and muttering under his breath until he finally extracted one of the blades. He put the destroyed razor down as he held the blade between his fingers, staring at the cool metal.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke brought the blade to his wrist, and—

"You're not going to ruin our bathroom by spraying blood everywhere, are you?" Sasuke jumped a mile high and turned around.

Neji was standing in the bathroom doorway, his arms crossed. Truth be told, he'd had a feeling something bad was about to happen, and then he remembered leaving his razor out. He was surprised Sasuke hadn't heard him come in, but instead of speaking right away, he'd waited to see what the Uchiha would do. Once the blade had neared his wrist, Neji had seen enough.

"Shut up." Sasuke snapped as he closed his hand around the blade and pushed past Neji, feeling the metal pierce his skin.

"You know, Sasuke," Neji turned and followed the other boy, noting the blood leaking from the raven's hand. He had broken skin while clenching the razor blade. "I don't agree with what you do with sharp objects, but if you want to use them on yourself, might I suggest another way?"

Sasuke froze and turned to look a Neji, a look of genuine confusion on his face. "What?"

"If you insist on cutting yourself, don't do it near any major veins or arteries." Neji said, narrowing his eyes. "Although I highly disapprove, I know you're going to end up cutting yourself, anyway. I would just rather have you not _die_ from it. So instead of your wrists, restrict yourself to cutting your upper arms or your legs. Just stay away from the main veins and arteries."

Sasuke stared at Neji for a long while before looking away, focusing on a point outside the living room window.

"It doesn't hurt enough." Sasuke whispered. Neji frowned at this. "It has to hurt more than thinking of Naruto."

* * *

Orochimaru calmly graded the papers lying before him, glancing at his clock with a small smile on his face. He had cancelled class that day due to 'personal matters', and so hadn't seen Naruto yet. He knew the blond must've been impatient with need, but the Sannin wanted to know just how far he could push the young boy.

He'd put a sign on his door that stated he was not to be disturbed, and he'd heard the blond pacing outside his office five minutes into what would've been class time. He'd never grinned so hugely before.

That had been almost an hour ago, and now, he could tell the blond was starting to panic. Orochimaru himself was incredibly hard, and looking forward to relieving a little bit of tension. He wondered how much he could get out of the blond today. After all, it had been close to two weeks since their encounter in the parking lot, and he was excited every time Naruto came to see him asking for more heroin.

Finishing up with the paper he was currently grading, Orochimaru set the papers aside and opened his bottom drawer, pulling out condoms, lube, and a needle containing heroin before standing up and walking calmly to the door. He kept the needle in his hand, knowing how greedy Naruto got.

The second he opened the door, Naruto was inside his office, looking around frantically.

"Calm down, Naruto." Orochimaru smirked as he closed and locked the door. "You'll get it."

"Please." Naruto appeared beside him, clutching his arm. "Please, I need it. I need it so bad."

"Do you, now?" Orochimaru inquired. "How badly do you need it?"

"I'll do anything. Anything you want, just name it." Panic was beginning to creep into Naruto's voice, and Orochimaru had never felt so wonderful. In fact, he never remembered _ever_ feeling so hard, before.

"You'll do anything I say, even if you don't want to do it?"

"Yes, anything. I'll do _anything_. I'll let you fuck me. Whatever you want. I won't tell Deidara. I won't tell anyone. Please, just _give it to me_!"

"There's a good boy." Orochimaru held the needle up.

Naruto hastily pulled up the sleeve of his long-sleeved shirt, bruising already apparent on the inside of his elbow due to his repeated injections. Orochimaru easily found a vein and put the needle into his arm, his finger on the plunger. However, he didn't give Naruto what he wanted. Not yet.

"Skip Physics."

"Yes."

"Come to my place tonight."

"Yes, anything!"

"Don't tell anyone."

"I won't!" Naruto was close to tears, clutching Orochimaru's arm with his free hand while the other began to shake, wobbling the needle still in his arm. "Please, let me have it."

Orochimaru smiled as he emptied the needle's contents into Naruto's arm.

* * *

Insistent knocking at Kakashi's door forced him to leave his comfortable position plastered against Iruka's back in the kitchen. With a sigh, the professor peeled himself from his lover and made his way to his door, scratching the back of his head and realizing only after he'd opened the door that he was wearing nothing but black boxers.

As Kakashi opened the door, he was somewhat startled at the sight that greeted him.

"We need to talk." The boy on the other side of the door pushed past him, glancing briefly in the kitchen as he passed it. "Hey, Iruka."

"Kiba?" the pony-tailed man asked, confused, as he walked out of the kitchen wearing only grey sweatpants. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry to barge in, but it's important." Kiba sat down at the table in the joint living room/dining room, a frown on his face. "Have either of you talked to Naruto or Sasuke?"

"No." Kakashi said, concern creeping up his spine at the serious look on Kiba's face. The brunette was hardly _ever_ serious, so when he was, it was time to hunker down and listen.

"Did they break up?" Iruka asked, alarmed, as he took one of the other seats at the table, Kakashi also sitting down.

"Well, yes and no." Kiba sighed, rubbing his face. "It's complicated."

"Explain it, then." Kakashi ordered.

"Naruto's been acting really weird, lately. He spends way too much time with Sai, and when he's not with Sai, he's with Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru?" Kakashi and Iruka blurted out simultaneously, both equally shocked.

"Didn't you say you all thought he was—"

"Yeah." Kiba cut Iruka off. "We think he still is."

"Then why—"

"I don't know, but it has to have something to do with the way he's been acting. Sasuke got mad at him for not telling him what was wrong, and he's been living with either Gaara and the others in the suite on second, or myself and the others on third. Naruto and Sasuke are _never_ together anymore."

"I was wondering why they weren't sitting together in English." Kakashi muttered with a frown. "I just assumed they needed some time apart or something. I didn't think it was serious."

"It's _getting_ serious." Kiba insisted. "I don't know what to do anymore. _None_ of us do. It's been about two weeks. I don't know how much longer I can take this. The only person who can help Naruto get through this isn't there for him. It's turning into a disaster."

"What can we do?" Iruka asked, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"I don't know. Talk to Sasuke or something." Kiba sighed, raking his hand through his hair. "Gaara, Neji and the girls are trying to get Naruto to talk to Sasuke. I know Sasuke won't listen to anyone but you or Naruto, so if we fail with Naruto, we need you to help us with Sasuke."

"We'll do the best we can." Kakashi nodded.

"Thank you." Kiba stood up and headed for the door.

"Kiba?" The brunette turned. "Why won't he tell us anything?" Iruka whispered, hurt evident in his voice. "Why is Naruto hiding his troubles from us?"

"I wish I knew." Kiba whispered before opening the front door, closing it behind himself.

* * *

**A/N: I have never taken heroin, so I have no idea how Naruto would act. I just did research and went with what I had, so hopefully, this is all right. :sweatdrop:**

**© 2006 FastForward**


	16. Help Me

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: I stole Kotetsu and Izumo from K. Masashi with hopes of trading them for Kiba, but then my muse found out and won't let me trade them, because she wants to keep them. :cries:**

* * *

"It's weird." Kiba muttered, frowning as he leaned back on the couch. "I mean, this is almost worse than when they hated each other last year."

"Admittedly, this is a problem." Neji sighed, standing by the kitchen door and looking into the living room.

Kiba had gone down to Neji and Gaara's suite to talk to them, thankful that Kankurou and Lee weren't there. He knew they would be concerned, too, but right now, the people who knew Naruto the best—other than Sasuke—needed some time alone to think.

"Uchiha won't look at Naruto anymore." Gaara commented. "And Naruto is content with spending time with Sai."

"Do you think it's Sai's doing?" Kiba inquired.

"No, he would not go to such lengths." Neji said. "I'm convinced this has something to do with Orochimaru."

"Obviously." Gaara replied, crossing his arms and frowning.

"What are we supposed to do?" Kiba groaned. "I am so worried about Naruto, fuck! And also, I like Sasuke and all, but I'm starting to get sick of seeing him sleeping on my couch all the time."

"Until Naruto confides in him, there's nothing we can do." the Hyuuga insisted.

"It's been a _month_, fuck!" Kiba exclaimed. "If he was going to tell us, he _would have_ by now! I say we go beat it out of him."

"Trust _you_ to resort to violence." Gaara stated monotonously.

"Hey, fuck you, Sabaku!" Kiba exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "I'm fucking worried about him and you just stand there acting all smug and arrogant!"

"Are you insinuating I do not care?" Gaara asked, an angry glint in his eye.

Neji stood between his two friends. "This is _not_ helping."

"What do we do?!" Kiba demanded, clutching his head and falling back onto the couch. "I say we talk to Tsunade. I mean, even if Orochimaru is her brother—"

"We can't _do_ that." Gaara reminded. "Do you not recall what Sasuke said?"

"I know, _I know_! But—fuck!" Kiba ripped at his hair. "We have three months before the end of school, and I don't see Naruto surviving that long! Sasuke himself is going to go back into depression, and then he'll be slitting his wrists again!"

"He's not going to slit his wrists." Neji reassured. Gaara and Kiba turned to him, the Hyuuga sighing. "I caught him with a razor blade a few days after the two of them stopped talking to one another, but I stopped him from doing anything stupid like slitting his wrists. I convinced him to just cut himself, instead."

"What?!" Kiba exploded, on his feet again. "You told him to _cut_ himself?!"

"What was I to do?" Neji snapped. "It was that, or let him slit his own wrists! At least this way he's able to hurt himself without us worrying about him _dying_!"

"Hyuuga did the right thing." Gaara insisted as Kiba opened his mouth to protest. "We all know Sasuke's light is Naruto. Without him, Sasuke is losing control. He's falling back into the darkness."

"What is this, Star Wars?!" Kiba demanded. "These are our _friends_! Don't go talking about the light side and the dark side, this is _serious_!"

"We _are_ being serious." Gaara growled, beginning to lose his patience. "There is nothing we can do! All we can hope to do is convince Naruto to _talk_ to Sasuke!"

"Good luck with that." Kiba grumbled. "In case you haven't noticed, we've been _trying_ that. He doesn't seem to want to talk to _anyone_ but Sai, lately."

Neji and Gaara shared a look, Kiba completely oblivious.

* * *

Sai opened the door to his suite and smiled brightly at Neji. "Hi, Neji. Naruto's not here."

"I know." The Hyuuga walked past Sai into the apartment, looking around. Sasuke was downstairs at Kiba's, and Naruto was downtown, picking something up for Tsunade. That left Neji alone with Sai.

"I don't like you, Sai." Neji cut to the chase, turning to look at him. "I've never felt comfortable around you, nor have I ever liked the way you've acted around Naruto."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Neji. I've always liked you." Sai smiled widely as he closed the front door, the two of them standing in the entrance.

"Naruto has stopped talking to Sasuke. This must be advantageous to you."

"I'm not losing any sleep over it." Sai agreed. "Naruto is still very much in love with rooster's ass, but he doesn't even _look_ at him anymore. Did something happen?"

Neji narrowed his eyes at the smile on Sai's face. "Did you have anything to do with what's happening?"

The smile faded from Sai's face to be replaced with an indifferent mask that put Neji's mask to shame. Sai stared at the Hyuuga for a few seconds before replying, his voice hard and completely different than the one he'd been using seconds before.

"I have nothing to do with what is happening right now. Naruto has chosen not to speak to Sasuke, and Sasuke himself is the one who left the suite. Naruto has nothing against Uchiha, so how can you blame me for what's happening?"

"Then make him _talk_ to Sasuke." Neji ordered.

"I can't do that." Sai replied, monotone. "It's his choice, not mine."

"Do you _truly_ care about Naruto?" Neji demanded, narrowing his eyes. "Truly?"

"Yes."

"Then you should know the only person who can help him is Sasuke." Neji stated. "If he's worrying you, and acting different—if you know something is _wrong_—the only person who can make it right again is Sasuke." Neji pushed past Sai and opened the front door again. "If you wish to see the old Naruto again, I suggest you make him change his mind about talking to Sasuke."

* * *

Naruto slammed through the front door to the suite, shaking and stumbling as he made his way to his room. He pushed open his door and stumbled to his desk, pulling open his drawers and rooting through them. He then went to his night table and checked the drawers there.

"No." he whispered. "No, I can't be out. I can't..." He began to hyperventilate.

But it was true. He was out. He threw himself onto his bed, grabbing his phone and opening it hurriedly. His hands were shaking so badly it took him nearly fifteen seconds to dial a number. Someone answered after two rings.

"I need more." Naruto chocked out as pain clawed at his stomach. "I need more right now."

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Deidara said pleasantly, loving the way Naruto depended so much on them now. "Orochimaru isn't available to pick up any more heroin. You'll have to wait about an hour."

"I can't wait that long!" Naruto hollered.

"Watch your tone." Deidara snapped. Naruto whimpered, clutching his stomach with one hand. "You can wait one hour. He'll call you."

Deidara hung up and Naruto threw his phone at the wall. Luckily, his throw had been weak, so the phone just bounced off the wall and fell to the carpeted floor. Naruto groaned as he curled up on himself on the bed, waiting for the pain to go away. But he knew it wouldn't. Not for another hour, when he would finally be able to get more heroin.

There was a knock at his door, but he ignored it, thinking it was still closed. He'd forgotten he had slammed into his room and not shut the door behind him.

"Naruto?"

"Go away." he moaned, not interested in getting involved with Sai right now.

"Naruto, we have to talk."

"I don't want to talk, just _go away_!" Naruto snapped before groaning again.

Sai ignored him and walked into the room, bending down in front of Naruto so that the blond had no choice but to look at him. Naruto did so, and Sai just stared at him for a few seconds, already having known what was wrong with him. He hadn't been sure before, but now, watching the blond shake like that—he knew.

"Naruto, do you want to stop?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Naruto muttered, looking away from Sai.

"You _do_ know. Don't make me say it out loud, Naruto. Do you want to stop, or not?"

"I told you..." Naruto trailed off as the clawing in his stomach intensified.

"Naruto, do you want to stop doing heroin?"

The blond froze for a few seconds before looking at Sai, shock evident on his face. The other boy just stared back, watching Naruto's reaction carefully. Even though his body said he wanted the drug, Sai could tell in Naruto's eyes that the blond himself didn't want it. But now, he couldn't _help_ it.

"Make it stop." Naruto whispered before covering his head with his hands, curling in on himself even more. "Make it stop! Please..."

"I can't make it stop, Naruto, only you can make it stop."

"I can't." Naruto said, his voice breaking. "I need..." Sai winced before shaking his head, steeling himself for what he was about to say.

"I can't help you, Naruto—but Sasuke can."

"Sasuke..."

"Shall I go get him?" Sai inquired.

"He hates me." Naruto whispered before groaning again. "W-won't talk to me."

"I'll make him." Sai stood up and walked to Naruto's door, leaving the suite in a matter of seconds.

Once he was outside and headed out of the building, he pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Sasuke's number, calling it.

"Hello?" Sasuke asked once he'd answered—the number hadn't been on his phone, so he didn't know who it was.

"If you still love your boyfriend, I suggest you go back to the suite. He needs you."

Sai hung up. This was all he could do.

He then flipped his phone open once more, dialling another number. His call was answered after five rings.

"It's me. We have a problem."

* * *

Sasuke entered the suite and closed the door behind himself, looking around. He'd debated this for about three hours. It was true, he still loved Naruto, but he didn't like how the blond had been acting for the last month. That, and adding in the fact that Naruto wasn't _telling_ him why he was acting like that just pissed Sasuke off. _**And** he was spending time with Sai,_ the raven thought angrily as he made his way to his room and slammed the door behind himself. If what Sai said was true, Naruto could come to him. Sasuke wasn't going to go out of his way anymore.

Sasuke sat down at his computer and turned it on, intent on getting some work done before the end of the night. He heard Naruto's door open down the hall but made no move to open his own door. He wanted to see how this would play out by itself.

There was a weak knock at his door and Sasuke stood up, walking towards it. He didn't walk too fast to show he was eager to answer the door, but he didn't walk too slow which would suggest he didn't want to talk to Naruto. He just walked right in between the two speeds, and opened his door.

Naruto was slumped against his door, shaking and holding his stomach. Sasuke almost flew backwards because he hadn't been expecting the weight, but he readjusted himself accordingly, looking out at Naruto.

"Naruto?" he whispered, unsure of what to say. They hadn't spoken for an entire month, so to have him at his door, crying, wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when they made up.

"Sasuke." Naruto sobbed. "I-I need h-help."

Sasuke stared at him, stunned. His hand was still on the doorknob as Naruto leaned heavily against the door.

"Please... Please, Sasuke. I-I need you. Please, help me." Naruto sank to his knees. "Please. I-I don't want to do it anymore..."

Sasuke bent down beside Naruto, wrapping his arms around the blond. Naruto clutched him desperately as he cried.

"You're shaking." Sasuke choked out. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's his fault."

"Whose fault?" Sasuke pressed.

"I can't tell you."

"Naruto, I want to _help_ you! I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on!"

"You promised." Sasuke's head snapped back. "You promised me that next time something bad happened, I could come to you, no questions asked."

Sasuke cursed. It was true; he _had_ said that to Naruto. So now, he was going to have to help him with no idea of what was wrong. He couldn't do that. He had to know _some_ things.

"All right." He let out a slow breath. "All right, I won't ask you who, but I _do_ have to ask you some things. I can't help you without knowing. What's wrong with you right now?"

"Withdrawal." Naruto said as he shook even harder. Sasuke frowned.

"Withdrawal from what?"

Naruto didn't get a chance to reply. He pushed away from Sasuke, grabbed the other boy's garbage can and threw up in it. Sasuke's eyes widened as he scrambled towards Naruto. The blond continued to throw up, crying as he did so. Sasuke rubbed his back, trying to reassure Naruto that he wasn't alone.

"Withdrawal from what, Naruto? Can you tell me?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto coughed slightly before spitting into the bin. "I don't feel so good."

"No shit." Sasuke said as he felt tears in his eyes. Shit, if he hadn't been such an _asshole_, Naruto might have come to him sooner. Before whatever this was had even happened. "Naruto, what are you in withdrawal from?"

Naruto's lower lip quivered as he kept his gaze fixed on the garbage can. "Heroin."

* * *

"What?!" Shizune exploded. Sasuke slammed his hand on her mouth, looking down the corridor at the front door. He didn't want Sai coming home and hearing this conversation.

"He didn't want to tell me, so please don't tell _anyone_." Sasuke said as he took his hand off her mouth. "I'm going to take him home, and answer all his calls to say he's been severely injured. Don't tell _anyone_ about this. Not Tsunade, not Jiraiya, _no one_. I only told you because I need to know what I'm going to be dealing with."

"Sasuke, he needs medical care." Shizune insisted. "You need to take him to the hospital, or a rehab centre."

"I can't do that, Shizune." Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. "The way I see it, he didn't want this. This was forced on him, and now he wants to stop. The only way to make sure he _does_ stop is to make him get through his withdrawal. He told me the people don't administer the actual shots anymore, they just give the heroin to him in needles."

"Who?" Shizune inquired.

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know. He wouldn't say. I just want to keep him safe. I'll get him through his withdrawal, and then we'll work on making these bastards pay."

Shizune sighed, running her hand through her black hair. "You're in for a real rough time, then, Sasuke."

"Just tell me." the raven grumbled.

"Withdrawal can last anywhere between two and three weeks." Shizune explained. "As for its effects, it varies from person to person, but the list is long."

"Tell me the most common ones." Sasuke demanded.

"Sweating, the shakes, cramps in the limbs, severe muscle and bone aches, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever."

"Great." Sasuke muttered.

"There's also another one that's fairly common called 'itchy blood'."

"What's that?"

"It's a painful condition where an addict will scratch himself constantly to the point of bruising, or even bleeding. You'll have to watch him for that one, because it's fairly common."

"Anything _else_?"

"Well, this one is less common, but it's pretty serious." Shizune said, eying Sasuke. "It's called priapism." Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and Shizune sighed, not at all happy about the fact that she'd have to go into detail. "It's persistent and intense penile erections. It's like taking five Viagras in one go." Sasuke winced at this. "It's not very common, but just in case it happens, if it doesn't go flaccid again within three hours, bring him to the hospital immediately. Four hours is when problems will start." (1)

"Right. Three hours." Sasuke nodded. "What should I feed him?"

"He probably won't want to eat, what with the throwing up and stuff." Shizune sighed, running her hand through her hair again. "But mostly serve him soft foods. Anything that won't require too much chewing since it probably won't stay down. If it's soft, it won't damage his throat or hurt too much when it comes back up."

"Right. Is there anything I can do for him?"

"Just be there for him." Shizune said with a kind smile. "It'll help him a lot."

"Okay. Thanks."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tonight. I'm going to pack some stuff and just leave. When people call, I'll tell them he's injured and in the hospital, but I won't say where, and I won't say why. If anyone calls you, tell them you know nothing."

"Are you sure we shouldn't tell Tsunade? I mean—"

"No." Sasuke snapped, causing Shizune to jump. The boy sighed, rubbing his eyes. "You know how Naruto keeps getting injured? And how he appears to be sexually abused?"

"Of course. Everyone's noticed."

"It's Orochimaru." Shizune paled. "And before you ask if I'm sure, he told me himself. He was _proud_ of it." Sasuke spat the words out. "I don't think Tsunade knows, but still—I don't want _anyone _to know about this. Please, promise me you won't tell anyone."

"All right, Sasuke." Shizune reassured him. "If anyone asks me, I haven't seen Naruto since we talked about his stab wound last month."

"Thank you."

The front door opened and both of them froze, Sasuke quickly closing his bedroom door. _Shit, shit, shit! I was hoping Shizune would be gone before he got home,_ Sasuke thought worriedly.

"So if you just rub this cream on it twice a day," Shizune blurted out, pulling hand-lotion from her bag and thrusting it into Sasuke's hand, "the fungus on your foot should go away."

Sasuke winced as he noticed the grin on Sai's face when he turned the corner, but he ignored it. At least it was an excuse for why Shizune was there.

"Thanks, Shizune. And thanks for coming by, I know you have better things to do with your time." Sasuke said as he tucked the lotion into his back pocket.

"Not a problem. I'll call you later, Sasuke." The doctor turned and walked down the corridor, nodding to Sai as she went before leaving the suite, the door opening and closing loudly.

"You have a fungus?" Sai smirked.

"It's none of your damn business." Sasuke snapped, feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks.

Sai shrugged as he walked down the corridor to Naruto's room and opened the door, looking inside. The blond wasn't there, so he turned to Sasuke. "Where's Naruto?"

"He went out." Sasuke replied immediately. "Said something about having to see a friend."

"Really?" Sai frowned, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Hm, I didn't hear about that. Oh well. Hope he has fun." Sai went into his room and slammed the door.

Sasuke entered his room quickly and closed the door, locking it behind himself. He went to the bed where Naruto was, shaking and sweating. He brushed the soaked blond bangs from his boyfriend's forehead and Naruto opened his eyes to look up at him.

"W-what are we g-gonna do?" Naruto stuttered.

"I'm taking you home. No one will know about this. If anyone calls, I'll say you've had an accident and are in the hospital. I won't say where, or why."

"Thanks, Sasuke." Naruto closed his eyes again.

* * *

Sasuke snuck back into the apartment silently, looking around to make sure Sai was nowhere in sight. He'd already brought Naruto down to the car, and was now coming back for the bags. It was all right if he made noise on his way back out, because to Sai, Sasuke was just leaving the suite. If Sai knew Sasuke had left with Naruto, it would defy the purpose of no one knowing where Naruto was, because it would be obvious he was with Sasuke, and left with Sasuke, thus, it was hard for Sasuke to lie and say he was injured if they were together from the start.

Sasuke grabbed his small suitcase, which was full of both his clothes and Naruto's. He'd only grabbed all of the blond's necessities since Naruto had a lot of stuff still at his home. Most of the stuff in the suitcase was Sasuke's.

Sasuke left the suite and let out a small breath as he realized Sai would never know what had happened. He went down the stairs quickly and ran across the parking lot with his suitcase. His heart fell into his stomach as he saw a dark figure leaning into Naruto's car on the passenger-side—the side Naruto was on.

"Shit."

Sasuke dropped the suitcase and bolted for the person, intent on knocking them out if they were going to hurt Naruto. As he got closer, he almost _wished_ the person was going to cause Naruto harm, because the person looking back at him was worse than that.

"Where are you taking him?"

"I can't discuss that with you. It's personal." Sasuke grumbled as he turned around and went back to the suitcase, picking it up.

"Bullshit, Sasuke! I won't be lied to again!" Kiba exclaimed angrily as he came around the car and stood in front of the driver's door, Sasuke stopping in front of him and letting out a sigh.

"Kiba, do you _really_ consider him a friend? A good, _good_ friend?"

"Of course!" Kiba snapped angrily.

"Then if I tell you this—you can't tell anyone. Not Hinata, not Shino, _no one_. Do you understand?" Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to leave if he didn't tell Kiba what was going on. That was the _only_ reason he was going to tell him.

"You have my word, Sasuke. I will not tell a soul. The last time I saw Naruto was this morning. I swear." Kiba reassured him, the boy looking more sincere than Sasuke had ever seen him.

"He's in withdrawal from heroin." Sasuke rushed on before Kiba could interrupt him. "I'm thinking Orochimaru forced him to start taking it, and then he couldn't stop. I'm taking him home for a few weeks until the withdrawal passes. Anyone who calls is going to hear he went to the hospital, and nothing else. I won't say where he is, why he's there—I won't say _anything_. So, _you_ don't say anything."

"Sasuke, you have my word." Kiba nodded to the raven. "This is serious, and I understand that. It'll take all I have not to smash Orochimaru's face in, but you have my word. I won't tell a soul. Hell, I'll even call Naruto's phone to demand to know where he is, just to make it more believable."

Sasuke smiled, patting Kiba's shoulder. "Thanks, Kiba. He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"And you." Kiba smirked as Sasuke made his way to the trunk and threw his suitcase inside. "You think he'll be okay?"

"In time."

"Think he'll tell you what's going on?" Kiba whispered.

Sasuke paused in closing the trunk, letting out a sigh before finally going through with the action. "I don't know. I'll try and see if there's any possible way for me to find out what's wrong, but there's no guarantee he'll talk."

"Try, all right?" Kiba shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm worried about him. We're _all_ worried about him."

"I'll try, Kiba." Sasuke got into the car and Kiba moved back.

"You take care of him, you hear. I'll kill you if he's hurt." Kiba called to him as the raven pulled out.

"Anyone who tries to hurt him will have to kill me, first." Sasuke called through the open window before disappearing down the street.

Kiba stood in the parking lot for a while longer, watching the car go with his hands in his pockets. He didn't move until he couldn't see the red lights of the car anymore.

"Take care of him, bastard." he whispered before turning around and walking back into Gage Towers.

A pair of dark eyes watched the whole scene before pulling out a cell phone and dialling a number.

* * *

(1) Most of this information was taken off Wikipedia.

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	17. Itchy Blood

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: Anyone willing to fly to Japan with me so we can harass K. Masashi? No, really. I'm serious. I want SasuNaru goodness in the anime/manga... stat...**

* * *

Sasuke was jolted violently from his sleep as the sound of Naruto falling off the bed met his ears. Seconds later, the blond started to quietly sob. Sasuke threw the sheets off himself and got off the bed, walking around to the other side before crouching down beside his boyfriend.

"What happened?" the raven asked.

"I need to pee, but I can't move." Naruto sobbed, shaking his head. "It hurts everywhere."

"Okay. Come on." Sasuke threw one of Naruto's arms across his shoulders and hauled the blond to his feet.

It had only been one full day since Sasuke and Naruto had arrived at the blond's huge house, but to Naruto, it felt more like a year.

Sasuke pulled Naruto into the bathroom and figured sitting the boy down on the toilet would be easier than helping him stand. So, the raven helped the blond sit down before placing a comforting kiss on his head and taking a step back.

"This sucks." Naruto sobbed as he buried his face in his hands. "This really, _really_ sucks. Why did they _do_ this to me?"

Sasuke refrained from asking _who_, exactly, had done this to him, but it had been hard. There was a lot he could handle, but seeing his boyfriend in withdrawal from something he probably hadn't even wanted in the first pace just angered him.

"I need it." Naruto suddenly burst out. "_Fuck_, Sasuke, I need it so bad!"

"No, you don't." Sasuke snapped, narrowing his eyes. He'd learned earlier that day that snapping at Naruto when he said that was better than being sympathetic.

"It hurts, Sasuke." Naruto insisted as he scratched at his left arm. Sasuke slapped his hand.

"No itching."

"I need—"

"No!" Sasuke snapped. "No itching!"

"It _hurts_!"

Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. _This is only day one,_ he reminded himself. _It'll get better. **He** will get better! He **will**!_

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke." Naruto was back to sobbing into his hands. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Naruto." Sasuke insisted as he kissed the top of his head again. "It's okay."

"I need—"

"Naruto!"

"—a shower."

Sasuke stared at Naruto, confused. He—hadn't been expecting that. "You need a shower?"

"Yeah." Naruto sniffed as he rubbed his face. "I feel—dirty."

"You're not dirty, Naruto." Sasuke sighed.

"I feel it, though." Naruto whispered. "Shower with me?"

Sasuke could tell Naruto meant it in a support kind of way as opposed to a 'we're gonna have fun in the shower' kind of way. He was all right with that. Naruto needed him right now.

"Okay. Okay, we'll shower." Sasuke kissed the top of his head again. "I'll run the water."

Just as Sasuke turned to do that, Naruto's phone began to ring in the other room. The blond's head snapped up and his eyes widened with fear before he slammed his hands over his ears.

"No! No, make it stop! Make it _stop_!"

Sasuke was stunned at the reaction, but he ran to the room to answer the phone nevertheless. He looked at the caller ID and noticed it was a blocked number. Taking a deep breath and readying himself for what he had to do, Sasuke answered.

"Hello?" he asked, trying to sound as groggy as he could.

"Who is this?" a monotonous voice rivalling Gaara's asked.

"Who's this?" Sasuke tried to sound annoyed.

"Is this Naruto Uzumaki's phone?"

"Yes, it is." Sasuke replied with an annoyed sigh. "If you're looking for him, you're fresh out of luck." There was a pause on the other end.

"Oh?"

"He got in a car accident." Sasuke lied. "I found out this morning. The hospital called me to let me know. He's unconscious, and has been since about four o'clock yesterday morning."

"What hospital?"

"Why would I disclose that information to someone who won't give me their name?" Sasuke demanded.

There was a pause on the other end, and then the man hung up. Sasuke scowled, but did the same. It didn't seem like this person was going to disclose any information after all.

Throwing the phone on the bed, Sasuke made his way back to the bathroom, only to wince as he was greeted by Naruto throwing up again. He bent down beside Naruto and rubbed the blond's back soothingly as Naruto continued to throw up. _There goes his dinner, _Sasuke thought with a sigh. At this rate, Naruto was going to look anorexic because he kept throwing up what little food he actually ingested.

"Who was it?"

"Wouldn't say." Sasuke replied as Naruto spat into the toilet bowl. "Sounded monotonous, though."

"Sasori." Naruto whispered, mostly to himself.

Sasuke's ears perked up and he straightened slightly. _All right, we're getting somewhere!_ he thought with a small smile. _At least I have a **name**. All I have to do is call Keita and find out about this Sasori guy._

"Was he the one giving you the drugs?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shut down again and the raven sighed. It appeared he'd gotten everything he'd be able to out of the blond, for now. He could only hope things got better as time went on.

Sasuke stood up and leaned into the shower, turning on the water. He adjusted it to a good temperature before bending down beside Naruto and helping him take off his shirt and boxers. Once Naruto was stripped down, Sasuke made quick work of his own shirt and boxers before helping the blond stand and manoeuvring him into the shower.

Since Naruto was leaning on him so much, Sasuke just sat the blond down in the tub, figuring it would be easier to help him clean himself without having to support him. As he reached over to grab the shampoo, Naruto's tanned hand wrapped itself around his wrist, tugging his arm closer. Sasuke looked at him, confused, and his eyes widened slightly as he noticed Naruto staring at his pale upper arms.

Naruto's other hand reached up and ran along the healing cuts on the raven's arm, noting they were on both arms. Sasuke had cut deep—deep enough to leave scars. Most of them looked fairly old, but a few of them were fresh. To Naruto, this showed that whatever Sasuke had been doing to himself, it had been recent.

"Is this because of me?" he whispered, his eyes fixed on the wounds. "Is this my fault?"

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke insisted as he gently pulled his arm free.

As Naruto was about to protest, the phone rang again. Sasuke was going to ignore it, but he knew it could be a bad idea. Especially if he could get more information out of Naruto.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." Sasuke stated as he hopped out of the shower, not bothering with a towel. He rushed to the room and tried not to get the bed too wet as he grabbed the phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"How is he?" Sasuke let out a sigh.

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't be calling to check up on him."

"Can you blame me for being worried, fuck?" Kiba snapped. "Besides, no one's around. I made sure of it. Just tell me how he's doing and then you'll be rid of me, fuck."

"He's not doing so well." Sasuke sighed, running his hand through his mildly wet hair. "Look up heroin withdrawal on the net, it's a _nightmare_."

"You think he'll pull through?" Sasuke had never heard Kiba sound so dejected.

"He'll be fine if we give him a little bit of time." Sasuke reassured.

"Okay. Keep me posted, you hear me, Uchiha?"

"Yeah, yeah. Quit your yapping." Sasuke ran his hand through his hair again. "I better go. He's waiting for me."

"Okay, later." Kiba hung up before Sasuke did.

The raven threw the phone back on the bed after flipping it closed and made his way back to the bathroom. The second he stepped through the door, he knew something was wrong. A smell hit his nose, and he flew towards the shower, pulling back the curtain.

The water that flowed down the drain was pink in colour, and that could only mean one thing. His eyes snapping to Naruto, he noticed the blond's left arm had scratches on it and was bleeding sluggishly while he worked on scratching his right arm.

"Naruto!" Sasuke jumped into the tub and wrenched Naruto's hands away from each other before pulling the blond into a hug. Naruto struggled. "Stop. Stop it. Naruto, stop." Sasuke soothed as he held the blond tighter, Naruto's hands on either side of the blond's body and scratching at the bottom of the tub. He was breathing heavily and Sasuke was pretty sure he was also crying.

"Naruto, calm down. It's okay." Sasuke soothed. "It's okay, don't worry. I'm right here. Everything will be okay." Sasuke forced the tears forming in his eyes back, but they spilled over anyway. "I'll take care of you."

* * *

The first week at Naruto's passed by excruciatingly slowly, in Naruto's opinion. Sasuke himself felt both thankful and guilty for Naruto's situation. He felt thankful because the blond kept blurting out random names and places, but guilty because he was thankful for Naruto's situation.

As the week progressed and Naruto improved—albeit slowly—Sasuke felt relieved and began to call Shizune on a daily basis to give her an update. Kiba still called excessively, but Sasuke was used to it, now. He'd accepted the fact that Kiba was like Naruto's guard dog a year ago.

It wasn't until the second week was starting that things escalated. Tsunade—who'd called once a day to talk to Naruto—started to call almost every ten minutes, demanding to know where they were. Kakashi was furious that, not only was Sasuke being cryptic, but he'd left before telling the professor anything. By Tuesday of the second week, Sasuke stopped answering Naruto's phone if he recognized the number. He couldn't deal with them all right now. He was busy taking care of Naruto.

And then, everything exploded on Wednesday.

The doorbell rang.

Naruto's head snapped towards the stairs and his eyes widened. Sasuke just led him back to his room—they'd just come up from the living room.

"Stay here and _don't_ answer your phone. Got it?"

"But—"

"_Don't_ answer it!" Sasuke glared to emphasize his point and Naruto snapped his mouth shut.

The raven turned and ran quietly down the stairs, making sure to keep out of sight. He made his way to one of the living room windows and peeked out. He cursed colourfully as he saw a redhead inspecting Naruto's car. As the doorbell rang a second time, he realized there were two of them.

He snuck towards the front door to see who it was, looking out the peephole. He gasped as he noticed Sai, wondering what this could possibly mean.

Sasuke's heart stopped and he began to panic when Sai bent down and pulled some tools from his back pocket.

He was going to pick the lock.

Shit.

_Naruto said something about a security alarm system last year,_ Sasuke thought as he looked around frantically. His eyes found it and he ran to it, popping it open and staring at the numbers. _What would the password be? What would it be?!_ he thought wildly, not having enough time to ask Naruto.

"_It's tomorrow."_ A memory popped into his head. _"The anniversary of the day my parents died."_

"Fourth of February." Sasuke hastily punched the numbers in and hit the alarm button before running around the corner a mere second before Sai got the door open.

Right when Sai opened the door, a loud, shrill alarm rang out through the house. The door was slammed again immediately, but the alarm continued to ring.

Sasuke waited about thirty seconds before peeking around the corner. No one was in the entrance, so he ran to the front door and locked it again. Then, the house phone rang.

Sasuke was stumped. If he turned the alarm off, Sai and the mysterious redhead would notice it had turned off. But if he answered the phone, he knew it would be the alarm company, and they would demand to know why the alarm wasn't being turned off. As it was, Sasuke was pretty sure they would be sending police officers over.

"Shit. Shit!" He looked around. He didn't know what to do.

_All right,_ he forced himself to calm down. _First, I'll check and make sure Sai and red are gone. Then, I'll turn off the alarm. Then, I'll call the alarm company and tell them everything is fine._ Nodding to himself, Sasuke ran up the stairs, ignoring the alarm and the still-ringing phone. He ran into one of the first rooms at the top of the stairs and crept up to the window carefully. He peeked out and saw Sai and the redhead still in front of the house, standing beside a silver car. They seemed to be arguing until Sai opened the car door, still yelling. He got in the car and the redhead scowled before doing the same.

Sasuke watched them leave before running out of the room and back down the stairs. He hit the code on the alarm system and it stopped immediately. Once it did, the phone rang again. Sasuke bolted for it and checked the caller ID, noticing it was the alarm company.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is the Rogers Company. Your alarm system has gone off and we were just calling to make sure everything was all right."

"Yeah, everything's fine." Sasuke tried to sound annoyed. "A bunch of kids threw a rock through the window while we were out, and it set off the alarm. We got home as they were running away and turned it off, but we now have a broken window. Other than that, everything is fine."

"Do I need to send over a black and white?"

"If you wish, but it's not necessary."

"All right. Sorry for the trouble. Have a good day."

"Thanks. Same to you."

Sasuke hung up the phone and slumped against the couch, letting out a loud sigh. That could've been disastrous. His head snapped up as he heard Naruto's cell phone ringing. _That moron better not answer!_ Sasuke thought as he jumped to his feet and bolted up the stairs. He slammed into the room and saw Naruto just staring at his cell phone with wide eyes. Sasuke snatched it off the night table and checked the ID. It was a blocked number.

Taking a deep breath and readying himself, Sasuke flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Don't talk, just listen." Sasuke frowned. The voice sounded choppy, distorted. It was like the person didn't want to be recognized. "They know where you are, and they'll be coming for you."

"Wait, who is—"

"You have to leave, right now. Take Naruto, and go somewhere else. _Now_."

The line went dead.

**

* * *

**

© 2006 **FastForward**


	18. Disappear

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: Please do not sue me, K. Masashi, for I am poor and would live on your doorstep.**

* * *

Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Naruto slept. He shook every once in a while and a frown would come across his face, but Sasuke would just run his hand soothingly through the blond's hair, and it would go away.

He was still debating whether or not to listen to the mysterious person who'd called earlier that day. Half of him wanted to believe what the person was saying and leave with Naruto, but the other half of him kept insisting there was more to that phone call than he could understand. After all, if they left, people would see them leaving _and_ recognize Naruto's car. Sai and the redhead were undoubtedly looking for Naruto.

But then again, the person hadn't told Sasuke _where_ to take Naruto. That could almost prove that this person was looking out for Naruto's best interest.

Sasuke clutched his head in annoyance, letting out a small groan. _I don't know what to do! What should I do? Should we risk leaving, or just stay here and hope for the best?_

Naruto's phone ringing snapped him out of his musings and he snatched it off the nightstand, flipping it open before it woke Naruto up. The blond shifted slightly in his sleep as Sasuke put the phone to his ear.

"Who is this, it's late." Sasuke tried to sound sleepy and annoyed. He was surprised to find he sounded rather credible.

"You listen to me very carefully, Uchiha. I don't care _what's_ wrong with Naruto, you get him on the phone _right_ now, or else." Sasuke was completely stunned at the venom dripping from the voice on the other end, but he just squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes, knowing full well the other man couldn't see him, but feeling more confident by doing so.

"Or else what?" he challenged.

"Just tell him or else, and he'll take the call. I know you're with him."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes further before hanging up. _All right, _he thought as he picked up Naruto's house phone and hit speed-dial three. _We're leaving._

"Who the fuck is this and why are you calling at four in the morning?" a gruff, angry voice demanded.

"Is this Zabuza Momochi?"

There was a pause.

"Who is this?"

"It's Sasuke Uchiha. I'm Naruto's—"

"Oh, yeah. The brat's boyfriend. What do you want?"

"Naruto's in some kind of trouble, and—"

"What?!" Zabuza practically roared. Sasuke had to jerk the phone away from his ear and was almost tempted to hang up, but he didn't. He needed to talk to Zabuza.

"Look, I don't have time to explain, but someone's after Naruto. I think they know we're at his place, so I was thinking of going elsewhere. The problem with that is that he has a very specific car, so I need another car to take him away in. I was wondering if we could borrow yours—provided you have one."

"I have a Honda. You can borrow it, I have no problems with that."

"Okay, but we're going to have to plan this. We can't be seen leaving this place, so I want you to come over with your car. We'll get in with you and try to stay out of sight. Then, you drive back to your place and we'll drop you off there. I'll take your car to our final destination."

"You're not going to tell me where that is, are you?"

"No, I don't want _anyone_ to know."

"Okay, kid. When do you want me there?"

"Right now."

* * *

Sasuke unlocked the front door to his house in Victoria and pushed the door open. He stared in at the front entrance, not having been there in so long he'd almost forgotten what it looked like. The last time he'd been there was before first year. He hadn't come home at Christmas, and he hadn't come home during the summer due to his coma. He'd spent his Christmas of Second year at Naruto's again, so that made it almost a year and a half since he'd been in this house.

He realized as he walked inside and put the bags down that he kind of missed it. He and Kakashi had been living there since the professor had gained custody of Sasuke. It had been just the two of them for the longest time. Sasuke never had any friends, so he'd never had anyone come over, and the only people Kakashi ever invited over were the other professors from UBC.

Naruto was the first person to ever enter Sasuke's house because Sasuke himself wanted him to.

The raven spun around and walked back out of the house, headed for the black Honda. He opened the passenger side door and shook Naruto gently, blue eyes slowly blinking open.

"Hey. We're here."

"Your house?" Naruto rubbed his sleep-filled eyes like a small child and Sasuke couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Yeah. Come on."

Sasuke helped Naruto out of the car, the blond still suffering from the heroin withdrawal. It had gotten remarkably better, but it still wasn't perfect. He still threw up on occasion, and scratched himself to the point of bleeding, but everything else had gone away. He only shook when he slept, and Sasuke suspected it was more due to his dreams than the withdrawal.

Naruto and Sasuke got through the front door together and the raven closed it behind them, Naruto looking around. The house was remarkably smaller than his own, but he found it homey. It had a quality to it that Naruto's own home lacked, although he couldn't put his finger on what that was.

"Are you sure it's okay?" the blond whispered. "Coming here."

"Of course it is." Sasuke reassured. "It's my house, too. Kakashi can't say squat. Although—we should avoid his room. He always comes here with Iruka."

"I lost." Naruto smiled weakly. "I know you meant Kakashi often has Iruka over here, but you said 'come' instead."

Sasuke grimaced. "Well, that's true, too."

Naruto smiled slightly before leaning against Sasuke more. "I need to lie down. I feel weird."

"Okay. We'll bring you to my room."

Sasuke helped Naruto get up the stairs, leading the blond to his bedroom. He pushed open the door and looked around. Nothing had changed since he'd last entered this room, and it felt weird being there. His walls were a deep, rich brown, and it matched the rest of his room perfectly. He had a dark maroon carpet and a black comforter on his bed. His closet door was a deep brown colour, and so was his dresser. His room looked very warm, but also incredibly dark. Naruto liked it, though. It was very Sasuke.

"Sorry it's a bit messy." Sasuke said as he led Naruto to the bed.

Naruto forced him to stop and turned to look at Sasuke before looking around the room. "Messy? Where is it messy?"

Sasuke looked around his own room and scowled. To him, it looked messy, but he should've figured that to Naruto it would look fine. Heaving a small sigh, he pulled the covers back and forced Naruto to sit down before bending down and taking off the blond's shoes.

"I'm not helpless, you know." Naruto muttered, but did nothing to stop Sasuke as he pulled off his socks and then stood to take off Naruto's shirt.

"I know. But you keep complaining that you're hurting, so I may as well just do this for you."

A few minutes later, Naruto was stripped to his boxers and was already halfway to dreamland. Sasuke just sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. He never _could_ leave Naruto out of his sight for long. He always worried when the blond wasn't in his immediate line of vision.

Naruto's phone began to ring and Sasuke launched himself towards their bags to grab it, shuffling through everything until he pulled it out. He noticed it was Tsunade, so he just declined the call before putting it on the night table beside his bed and sitting down again. He stayed there for almost an hour before getting up to go to the bathroom. It was as he was washing his hands that he felt something was wrong. As if on cue, Naruto started screaming.

As the raven rushed back to his room, he threw open the door to find Naruto thrashing in bed, apparently fighting off an invisible attacker as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"No! Don't make me! I won't do it!"

Sasuke assumed he was dreaming about being forced to take heroin, so he ran to the blond's side and attempted to hold him so he could calm him down. This was the wrong course of action, as it resulted in Naruto elbowing him in the face, causing him to fall on his ass.

"No! I won't kill again!"

Sasuke's head snapped back, the pain in his cheek almost completely gone as the words Naruto had just said sunk in. _Won't kill—**again**?! What is the moron talking about?!_

Naruto stopped thrashing and just began to whimper as tears fell across his cheeks. "Please. Don't make me do it anymore. I don't want to hurt people anymore."

The blond rolled up in the foetal position and sobbed in his sleep, Sasuke still sitting on his ass on the floor, watching him silently. His heart rate had doubled and all the blood had drained from his face. What the hell had _that_ been about?

"That's it." Sasuke muttered aloud as he stood up and stood beside the bed, staring down at Naruto. "You're going to talk to me whether you like it or not."

He reached out and shook Naruto awake more violently than he had meant to. But, enough was enough. He wanted answers, and he wanted them _now_.

* * *

Sai walked into Deidara's office, closing the door behind himself as the blond man looked up at him.

"Ah, Sai. You made it."

"You wished to speak with me?" he inquired as he took a seat across from Deidara, leaning back casually in the chair.

"Yes, I did." Deidara folded his hands together. "I'm sure you're aware of the fact that, although I run this unit, I am not the leader of Akatsuki as a whole."

"I had my suspicions, yes." Sai nodded.

"Well, the leader has decided he wants to meet you." Sai's ears perked up and he sat up straighter. "He's impressed with your work, and is very happy that none of your kills have been exposed. He admires your ability to work solo. Had we not had the pleasure of finding you two years ago, we wouldn't have been able to kill as many people as we have today."

"I'm glad I could be of help." Sai smiled.

"Although, I have to admit, your brief departure did worry me. I know I'd told you back when you joined that you were allowed to leave whenever you wished, but I didn't think you'd take me up on the offer. You seemed eager to kill."

"I was trying to be someone I was not." Sai explained. "I believed that leaving the Akatsuki would make me a better person; someone worthy of Naruto's love. I was wrong, so I returned."

"Yes." Deidara scowled and leaned back in his chair. "Speaking of Naruto, any sign of him?"

"No. The last time we had any information on him was when Sasori and I saw his car at his house. We returned the next morning and entered the house without setting off the alarm, but there was no one there. If he really _was_ hit by a car, he must've returned home and been walking when it happened."

"I don't believe he's in the hospital." Deidara scowled. "Cell phones aren't allowed to be turned on in hospitals, yet that Uchiha brat keeps answering the phone."

"Where else could they be?" Sai frowned. "They're not at the unit in Gage, nor are they at Naruto's."

Deidara was about to speak when his door suddenly opened. He glanced at it and then jumped to his feet, a look of something resembling fear on his face.

"L-Leader. What are you doing here so early?" he asked.

Sai steeled himself, took a deep breath, and slowly turned around to look at the leader of the Akatsuki. He wasn't impressed. Scarred and old, the man was like a relic. Nothing to write home about. _Don't underestimate him, Sai, _he warned himself. _You can't afford to die now._

"Is this him?" The leader walked towards Sai, looking down at him.

"Yes, sir. This is Sai Baikan. Sai, this is our leader, Danzo Kazuki."

"It's an honour to meet you, sir." Sai stood and held his hand out. Danzo smirked before grasping it, shaking the young boy's hand.

"I've heard great things about you, Sai Baikan. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you earlier, but you know how it is. Security issues and all."

"I understand, sir. I'm honoured to meet you at all." He smiled brightly and Danzo grinned.

"I like this kid, Deidara. You did well finding him."

"Thank you, sir."

"Well, I just came by to meet you, but I have to head back out. Places to go, people to kill." He chuckled slightly. "I'll be seeing you around, though, Sai."

"It was a pleasure, sir."

Danzo nodded to the raven boy and then to the blond man before turning and exiting the office, Deidara slumping back in his chair. He seemed utterly terrified, as if worried Danzo was going to kill him on the spot.

"Where were we?" he asked as he raked one hand through his blond hair. "Ah, yes. Naruto, and our lack of communication with him." He scowled darkly as Sai sat back down, wondering what he could do. "Tell me, who is most important to the Uchiha?"

"Naruto." Sai replied honestly. "I don't think he cares about anyone as much as him."

"Yes, but we need him. We can't kill him. We're going to have to find someone else."

Deidara pulled a file out of one of his drawers and began to flip through it, looking at all the pictures. Sai recognized them as the leverage they were using on Naruto. He knew every person who passed by. Kiba. Genma. Hinata. Gaara. The pictures kept going and going until Deidara stopped on one and pointed at it.

"This man."

"Kakashi Hatake." Sai supplied.

"He's Sasuke's guardian, isn't he?" Deidara inquired with a small frown.

"He is. He's practically like a father to Sasuke."

"Good." Deidara pulled the picture out and ripped it in half before throwing it in the garbage. "Get rid of him. Make it perfect. I want him to disappear off the face of the planet. I don't care what method you use, but I want him disposed of. Make sure no one finds the body. And I want his head."

Sai nodded. "Of course. I will report back to you when it's done."

"Good. You're dismissed." Sai stood to leave the office, but Deidara spoke, forcing him to turn back. "Make sure they _both_ find out. I want Naruto to feel wracked with guilt."

"Seeing Uchiha in pain will be the sweeter of the two." Sai smiled and then left the room.

The raven walked out of the building, nodding to Sasori as he passed. He used the back way that only a few people knew about, since no one was supposed to know he was part of the Akatsuki. Only Deidara, Sasori, and Zetsu knew.

As he got outside and climbed into his car, he slammed the door before pulling out his phone and dialling a number. It rang a few times before the line clicked.

"Hey, it's me. I'm going to need some help with my next assignment. He's going to be a hard one to make disappear."

**

* * *

**

© 2006 **FastForward**


	19. The Death of the Innocent

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :Received a human-sized wrapped gift from K. Masashi and got all excited, only to open it and find out it's a cop, there to arrest the authoress for stealing Izumo and Kotetsu: **

* * *

Naruto sighed as he was pushed into one of the chairs in Sasuke's kitchen, not having a say at all in what was happening. He still didn't know what was going on. One second, he was sleeping, and the next, Sasuke had shaken him awake, dragged him out of bed, and forced him into a chair. He hadn't even gotten coherent enough to ask what was going on.

Sasuke caused Naruto to jump as he slammed a glass of water down in front of the blond, Naruto looking up at Sasuke, confused.

"Talk."

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked, completely lost.

"I'm tired of this, Naruto. You're getting sexually abused, you're getting forced into taking drugs—you're having dreams where you're begging someone to stop making you _kill_."

Naruto paled and his eyes widened. That was all the confirmation Sasuke needed. The dream had been based on real events. So now, Naruto was going to talk to him, or by God, he was going to drag the truth out of him by force.

"I-I don't—I don't know—"

"Cut the act." Sasuke snapped. "I want to help you, but you keep making it so Goddam difficult! Are you really _that_ selfish, Naruto?! Are you really selfish enough to make everyone worry about you like this?!"

"Selfish?!" Naruto's face twisted in anger. "You're calling _me_ **_selfish_**?!"

_Good, I got him angry,_ Sasuke thought. _That's exactly what I want. He blurts out stuff when he's angry._

"Yes! I'm calling you _selfish_!" Sasuke slammed his fist on the table. "You're making _everyone_ worry about you! Do you not _care_ how _we_ feel?!"

"How _dare_ you call me selfish?!" Naruto hollered as he jumped to his feet, getting right into Sasuke's face. "I've fucking _killed _people for _you_, Sasuke!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto froze and his eyes widened. He looked away from Sasuke, his eyes shifting from side to side rapidly as he began to breathe hard. What had he just done? He'd told Sasuke about what had been going on lately. Was Sasuke going to die, now? Was Deidara going to find out and _kill_ him?!

Naruto sank back down into his chair, burying his face in his hands. Sasuke bent down beside him, gently tugging the blond's hands away from his face. Naruto locked his blue eyes on Sasuke and didn't see the disgust he was expecting. He didn't see hate or anger, or even fear. He saw concern.

Sasuke was concerned about him. _Him_. A murderer.

"Naruto, I'm sorry I said all those things to you, but I needed you to talk to me. I need you to understand that no matter how bad something is, you can trust me. I'll always help you get through your problems. You saved me from Itachi more than once. You saved me from my own demons. Now it's _my_ turn to save _you_. I need you to explain to me what's happening."

"I can't." Naruto whispered as tears fell silently down his face. "You'll get hurt."

"I already _am_ hurt, Naruto. Seeing you like this is worse than any physical torture anyone could come up with." He put his hands on the blond's shoulders. "Please, tell me what's happening."

Naruto bowed his head, shaking it slightly as tears continued to fall down his face. Sasuke sighed and was about to start thinking of a new way to get him to talk, when Naruto suddenly spoke.

"It was on the same day you woke up." Sasuke straightened slightly in his crouched position, listening intently. Naruto's eyes were still downcast, but at least he was talking. "I was approached at the bus stop by a man. His name was Deidara Hokuto. He gave me a card with the name of an organization. It was called the Akatsuki." Sasuke frowned, recognizing the name. "Itachi used to work for them." Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You're working for the same organization my brother did?"

"I had no choice." Naruto's lower lip quivered, his eyes still not on Sasuke. He didn't want to look at the other boy right now, afraid of the disgust he would see on the raven's face. "They said my mum worked for them. They said if I didn't help them, they would kill the people I loved. Tsunade, Kiba, Jiraiya—and you." He finally looked up at Sasuke, still crying. "I had no choice. I couldn't lose you. Not again."

"Naruto, I'm going to ask you something very important." Sasuke said as clearly as he could, wanting to make sure Naruto understood him perfectly. He placed both hands on the blond's thighs, ensuring to keep their eyes locked. "I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to know that whatever the answer is won't change who you are to me. I know everything you did wasn't of your free will, so I understand. But I want to know, truthfully, whether or not you actually killed someone." Naruto's eyes diverted from Sasuke's. "Look at me, Naruto." He looked back at him. "It's a different story to hold someone down and have another wield the blade. I want to know if you, personally, ever shot someone. Ever stabbed someone. I want to know if you ever _actually_ killed someone." Naruto's eyes looked away from Sasuke again, but this time, the raven could tell he was thinking.

The blond thought back to every murder. The first one, with the man being buried alive, wasn't considered him killing the man. He'd even gone back to try and set him free. He'd never killed anyone, only held them down or watched as they were killed. No, he'd never been the killing hand, only the accessory.

"No." he finally whispered. "No, I've never actually killed anyone."

Sasuke let out a small sigh of relief, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. "I'm glad. This will make it easier."

"Make what easier?" Naruto inquired, looking confused.

"Naruto, do you trust me?" Sasuke asked as he reached forward and cupped the blond's face in his hands.

"With my life." Naruto whispered.

"I will get you out of this, Naruto. We're going to end this right now."

Sasuke stood up and headed for the kitchen phone.

* * *

A knock on the door was the last thing Kakashi wanted to hear when he was in the middle of undressing Iruka. He had a raging hard on, a flushed Iruka, and a can of whipped cream. Being interrupted at a time like this was just _asking_ for Kakashi to pull out his gun again.

Unfortunately, he was going to answer that door. Because if it was Sasuke or Naruto—well, his gun would be pulled out again, too, but for an entirely different reason. He was doing _everything_ he could to keep his mind off them because he was so _worried_ about the two boys. _If I find them, I'm going to kill them. And if that's Genma, he's dead._

The grey-haired professor opened the front door, Iruka down the corridor and watching. The first thing Kakashi saw when the door had swung open completely—was the barrel of a gun. All the blood drained from his face and his heart practically stopped beating.

As the wielder of the gun moved forward, Kakashi was forced back. Iruka gasped as he saw the gun, and the person holding it. The front door was shut behind the intruder, and his eyes glanced sideways.

"Hello, Mr. Umino. Fancy seeing you here."

"What is the meaning of this?!" Iruka demanded angrily, too worried about Kakashi's life to bother caring about his own.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, but there have been some complications." Sai said to his English professor as Kakashi struggled to stay standing on his wobbly knees. Why did it seem like every year, he had a gun aimed at him? He'd thought this would go away once Itachi was dead, dammit!

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi demanded, his voice coming out stronger than he felt.

"Naruto is missing, and now, our boss is pissed."

"Your boss?" Iruka asked in a small voice as he took a step forward. He knew Kakashi hid his gun in the cabinet right by the door. Since Sai and Kakashi were now practically in the living room, maybe he could get to it.

"Yes, our boss. Since Naruto's departure, we haven't been doing our job as quickly and efficiently as before. Now, we have to teach him a lesson. Since that Uchiha brat is stopping us from contacting Naruto, we're going to kill the person closest to him." He lightly tapped Kakashi in the centre of the forehead with the barrel of his gun. "And that would be you, Mr. Hatake."

Sai suddenly pulled out another gun, aiming it right at Iruka, who froze in his steps. The young boy narrowed his eyes at the karate teacher. "I wouldn't, if I were you, Mr. Umino."

"You'll never get away with this." Kakashi said, forcing his student to look away from his lover. He just wanted to keep Iruka safe.

"Won't I?" Sai smirked. "Consider this punishment for your dear foster son. I'll let Iruka tell him of your passing." A sadistic smile crossed Sai's face. "Good bye, Kakashi Hatake."

A gunshot rang out.

"Kakashi!"

* * *

"Slow down!" Keita ordered as he rubbed his eyes with one hand, the phone pressed against his ear. "What are you trying to say? Naruto's been forced to work for a bunch of serial killers?"

"Yes!" Sasuke hollered angrily. Was this guy _stupid_?! "He was forced into joining them, sexually abused, and drugged up! They're calling relentlessly because they want him back, but I don't want him to go back! They're making him hold people down while they kill them! They're forcing him to take heroin! We have to help him get out of this!"

"Sasuke—I don't mean to sound disbelieving, but are you sure?"

"Yes!" Sasuke roared. "He's being forced to work for the Akatsuki!"

"Wait a second." Keita flew out of his seat, rushing across his office to pull open a filing cabinet. "Did you say the Akatsuki?"

_Finally, _Sasuke thought, annoyed. "Yes!"

"How did he get involved with them?" Keita demanded as he pulled a file out of the large drawer and went back to his desk, flipping it open and reading through it briefly as he half-listened to Sasuke.

"He said it happened on the same day I woke up from my coma. He says they're threatening to hurt the people he loves if he doesn't obey them. He hasn't actually killed anyone, but he's been there for the murders."

"He knows the members? Their names, what they look like?" Keita asked.

"I guess."

"I'll have to call you back, Sasuke. Thanks." He almost hung up before Sasuke screaming about him not having his number made him put the phone back to his ear. He scribbled the number down hurriedly before slamming the phone down and jumping to his feet.

Keita ran down the narrow corridor to the chief's office, slamming through the door without so much as a knock.

"Chief! Chief, I've got big news!"

"What is it?" Baki Tsurugi demanded, slightly irritated.

"It's the Akatasuki! I have a lead!" He threw the file onto Baki's desk.

"Wait, Akatsuki?" Baki picked up the file and skimmed through it. "Isn't this the organization CSIS is after?"

"Yeah. I just found out that Arashi's kid was forced into joining them."

"What?!" Baki demanded, absolutely horrified. "The Uzumaki kid was forced into this organization? Against his will, right?"

"Of course!" Keita snapped. "You know Arashi's Naruto would _never_ willingly turn into his mother! He hates her more than anyone!"

"This is bad." Baki frowned. "To do this to that kid—we have to get to him. We'll need him to go back to them so we can locate them, and shut them down."

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Keita asked worriedly. "Using Naruto as bait?"

"We have no other choice." Baki said. "CSIS has been after them for close to two and a half years, and they're not getting anywhere. If we can take them down, we're going to have to risk it."

"Chief." Another officer entered the office. "There's a phone call for you."

"Who is it?" Baki asked as he picked up his phone and looked for the correct line.

"It's CSIS, sir."

* * *

"I can't believe you told him." Naruto whispered as he sat at the table, his head buried in his arms. "Everyone's going to die."

"No, they're not." Sasuke reassured as he sat down in the chair beside Naruto's. "They'll probably have you wear a tracer or something and will send you in so they can locate the place. Then, they'll burst in there and kill everyone—or arrest them, but either way, things will work out for the better."

"You don't know that." Naruto whispered. "For all we know, things have already gotten worse."

"Naruto, whatever happens, it's _not your fault_." Sasuke stressed the last three words. "It's not your fault your mother was who she was. It's not your fault you were forced into this. Whatever happens, you just have to have faith in yourself and your ability to overcome this. If you don't believe in yourself, things _will_ turn out for the worst."

"Everything's always okay in the end." Naruto whispered. "If it's not okay, then it's not the end." He looked up at Sasuke and smiled weakly. "My grandmother used to say that to me all the time. Especially when I got beat up. She said that—as long as I remembered who I was, and believed in who I was as a person, then what other people thought of me didn't matter. I'd find those who would look past my mother and see me for me."

Sasuke smiled. "Sound advice from a wise woman."

"Yeah." Naruto whispered. "Sound advice from a wise woman."

They were both snapped out of their peaceful moment by the sound of the phone ringing. Sasuke stood and pulled the phone off the hook, putting it to his ear. He didn't even have time to say hello. All he heard was sobbing, and he knew something was wrong.

"What happened?!" he demanded urgently, not even knowing who it was yet.

"Sasuke..." Iruka sobbed on the other end. "Oh my God... Kakashi... he just... Sasuke..." The older man continued to cry, and Sasuke clutched the phone tightly.

"Iruka, what happened? What about Kakashi?"

"What?" Naruto asked, panic rising in his throat. "Something happened to Kakashi?"

"Oh my God, Sasuke..." Iruka continued to cry. "He killed him. Oh my God, he's dead! He's _dead_!"

Sasuke's blood froze in his veins at the words and the phone fell lifelessly from his hand. He couldn't hear Iruka who was still sobbing, talking about all the blood. Talking about how Kakashi's lifeless corpse was dragged from the house.

Naruto's cell phone rang in the other room, but Sasuke couldn't hear it. Naruto went for it, anyway. After hearing about something happening to Kakashi, he knew it was his fault. He knew now that the game was up, and it was time for him to get back to work. He couldn't run anymore.

"H-hello?" he stuttered into the phone.

"I assume you've heard by now." Deidara's pleased voice rang down the line. "Kakashi Hatake is dead. I have his severed head on my desk." Naruto resisted the urge to throw up. "It's a shame about the bullet wound through his head. And he had such an attractive face, too."

"I understand." Naruto grit out, forcing himself to remain calm. "I understand!"

"Do you really?" Deidara's voice darkened. "You probably thought we wouldn't do it, didn't you? You thought you could just disappear and nobody would get hurt. You can thank your boyfriend for the target. If he had just given you the phone when I'd asked him to, this wouldn't have happened. So now, he's involved. And now, _both_ of you will be working for me."

Naruto's stomach turned over and as he opened his mouth to reply, the phone was wrenched away from him, Sasuke putting it to his ear.

"Did you kill him, you murdering _fuck_?!" Sasuke hollered angrily, tears forcing their way down his cheeks. "Was it you _personally_?!"

"No, it wasn't." Deidara smirked, pleased with the pain he heard in the Uchiha's voice. "But I have the pleasure of being able to stare into his lifeless eyes for as long as I wish."

"You asshole!" Sasuke hollered.

"Easy, Mr. Uchiha, unless you want his little lover to follow." That shut Sasuke up instantly. He wasn't willing to lose Iruka to this bastard, too. "I've already informed Naruto, but since I'm now talking to you, I may as well let you know, too. Because of your impudence and rudeness towards me, you shall be joining our little group. You and Naruto are to be in the parking lot of Gage Towers tomorrow night at midnight. If you're not there, Mr. Umino dies. For every hour you are late, another of your friends will follow. Mr. Shiranui, Mr. Namiashi, Mr. Inuzuka—my list is never-ending. Be there, or you _will_ regret it."

The line went dead and Sasuke sank to his knees, clutching his chest painfully.

"Kakashi!"

* * *

(1) Equivalent to the American NSA.

* * *

**:Authoress is brutally killed by all Kakashi fans: D'y'all think you could cut me some slack? My muse already beat the crap out of me. :winces:**

**© 2006 FastForward**


	20. Akatsuki

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer: Do I own Naruto if I have all the manga and anime? Or does K. Masashi still get to keep them?**

* * *

Keita ripped off a piece of tape and pressed a wire against Naruto's back, putting the tape on top to keep it in place. Sasuke was sitting on the living room couch with Iruka blubbering beside him.

The two boys had returned to campus and gone straight to Kakashi's. The stench of blood and red substance splattered across the living room only enhanced their anger towards the Akatsuki. They'd been even angrier to find out the one to have pulled the trigger was Sai. Sasuke hated him even _more_ now.

That was why, when the Vancouver police had arrived with Keita, the two boys had told them to come to Kakashi's. If they did this at Gage, then that meant Sai would know about it.

"Don't worry about the wire." Keita told Naruto as he continued to tape it in place. "They won't be able to detect it. It's made especially to be bypassed by all forms of detection equipment."

Naruto nodded, but he was still shaking—for more reasons than one. He wasn't completely over his withdrawal, and he was so scared they would offer him heroin. If they did, would he be able to resist temptation? He could only hope.

Naruto's jaw trembled as he thought about going in there with Sasuke. What if they made Sasuke do what they'd made Naruto do? What if he had to do it and have Sasuke watch him? Could he live with himself if his boyfriend actually _watched_ him suck someone off? He would rather die. But then—if it came down to them forcing Sasuke to do it, or him having to do it, he would volunteer himself in a heartbeat. He was already tainted; stained. He was already trash. He couldn't sink any lower.

"It's eleven-forty." Keita's partner said as he glanced at his watch. "It's time for you two to go. If you're late, you know what will happen."

Sasuke nodded as he stood up, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He brushed past Naruto, headed for the door.

"Let's go."

Naruto's eyes lowered at the hatred in Sasuke's voice. He pulled a shirt on over his head before following his boyfriend out, his eyes still downcast. He jogged to catch up to Sasuke and once they were side by side, he matched the raven's pace, the two walking in silence with their hands in their pockets.

Not a word was spoken for almost the entire walk. It wasn't until they were nearing the parking lot that Sasuke finally spoke.

"I don't blame you." he whispered. Naruto turned to look at him, but Sasuke kept his eyes facing forward. "I don't blame you for Kakashi's death. I don't want you to think I'm angry at you, or I think it's your fault. I don't. But I won't be satisfied until I have my revenge."

"I know." Naruto whispered. "I'm glad you're not mad at me."

Sasuke stopped and pulled on Naruto's arm to stop him, too. They were only about two minutes away from the Gage parking lot. Naruto stared at Sasuke as the raven searched his eyes.

"Whatever happens tonight, I just want to make sure you know something." Before Naruto could say anything, Sasuke pulled him against his chest, hugging him tightly. "You're my best friend, and my boyfriend, and I love you. I know we'll get through this alive, but I just want to make sure you know in case something goes wrong."

Naruto smiled and wrapped his own arms around his boyfriend. "I love you, too, Sasuke."

Before he could stop himself, Sasuke pulled the blond away and clamped his lips hungrily against Naruto's. Who knew if they would make it out of this alive? He needed to make sure this was the last thing he remembered. The taste of Naruto. The way his tongue moved against his own so perfectly.

Sasuke dug his fingers into bright blond locks, pulling the blond closer. Naruto pressed himself up against Sasuke as hard as he could, the two of them clutching one another desperately as they kissed.

"Well, isn't this adorable?"

As startled as they'd been, neither jerked away from one another. They both chose to finish their kiss the same way it had started—full of passion. They slowly broke apart and Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's chest as the raven turned and glared at the owner of the voice, wrapping his arms more securely around Naruto.

"You were almost late. You're lucky I saw you, or someone would've had to die."

"We still have four minutes." Sasuke stated dryly.

Orochimaru smirked and tapped his watch. "Time is of the essence, Sasuke. Get in."

The raven could feel Naruto shaking, and he tightened his hold on him. _It'll be okay, Naruto. I won't let anything happen to you,_ Sasuke thought as he shifted so he had one arm wrapped around Naruto's shoulders. They walked to the car and Sasuke opened the back door, but Orochimaru stopped him.

"Naruto sits in the front."

"He doesn't need to." Sasuke snapped back.

"If I say he does, then he does." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

Sasuke wasn't going to back down, but Naruto pulled away from him, staring at the ground.

"It's okay, Sasuke. I'll be all right."

The blond pulled open the passenger side door and climbed in. Sasuke angrily pulled open the back door and did the same, slamming the door much harder than was necessary.

The raven spent the whole car ride glaring daggers at the back of Orochimaru's head, the professor's hand resting on Naruto's upper thigh.

* * *

Sasuke followed Naruto and Orochimaru down a narrow passageway. They reached a door and walked through it, Sasuke turning as it slammed behind him. A member of Akatsuki stood by the door, grinning and licking his lips as he looked Sasuke up and down. The raven cringed. What kind of place _was_ this, anyway?!

"So, you're the famous Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke turned at the mention of his name and watched as a blond man walked towards him, grinning widely. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You're the one who ordered Kakashi killed." Sasuke took a step forward but Naruto held him back.

"Don't." he whispered, his eyes fixed on Deidara. "You have _no_ idea what he's capable of."

"Listen to your boyfriend, Uchiha." Orochimaru smirked. "At least he knows what he's talking about."

Sasori exited Deidara's office and came up beside the blond man, nodding to him. Deidara smiled before looking back at the members of Akatsuki.

"We have a surprise for all of you tonight. You get to meet not only our best member with the highest amount of clean kills, but also, our leader. As our leader is not here yet, we shall start with our best member. As per his request, we shall introduce you to him." He turned to Sasori. "Bring him out."

Sasori walked back to Deidara's office and opened the door. Sai walked out, smiling brightly and waving. "Hi, Uncle Orochimaru."

"You're kidding!" Orochimaru hollered angrily. "All this time, that little shit has been your best man?!"

"And a very resourceful spy." Deidara narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru. "He's told me quite a few interesting things about you, Orochimaru."

"You little bastard." Orochimaru growled.

"I assure you, my parents were married when they conceived me." Sai smiled. "You should know, they're somewhat related to you." Sai said as he walked up to the small group and stood close to Naruto, Sasuke's hands itching to wring his scrawny little neck for what he did to Kakashi.

"Shut up!"

"Enough!" Deidara snapped. "Leader will be here any minute, and I want this done before he gets here."

The blond man pulled out a gun and aimed it at Sasuke. The raven's eyes widened and Naruto went to stand in front of him, but Orochimaru grabbed him and dragged him away from Sasuke. Sai grabbed the raven's shirt and held him in place.

"What's going on?!" Naruto hollered. "This wasn't part of the deal!"

"The deal changed, Naruto." Deidara cocked the gun. "Kakashi's death was punishment to Sasuke. Sasuke's death is punishment to you."

Naruto's eyes widened. _Oh my God. Keita will never get here in time. Sasuke's going to die. Oh my God. Sasuke's going to die. Sasuke's going to die! **Sasukesgoingtodie!**_

Deidara pulled the trigger.

* * *

Sasuke's mind was still reeling as he heard the gunshot and saw the bullet fly towards his forehead. He still didn't understand how one second, he'd been about to die, and the next, he was staring at the concrete floor.

As if in slow motion, he turned his head as he fell to the ground, seeing Sai spin around and whip a gun out from the back of his pants. He took aim and fired. Sasuke watched as the bullet flew across the room and slammed into Deidara's hand, forcing the gun to fall from his grasp. As Sasuke watched the gun fall, the speed of events returned to normal and chaos ensued.

Naruto elbowed Orochimaru in the stomach as Sai wrenched Sasuke to his feet, pushing him behind himself as he backed towards the door, Naruto running towards them.

"Y-you?!"

"I'm a jealous bastard, not a murdering asshole." Sai snapped as he fired at another Akatsuki member.

"You killed Kakashi!" Sasuke snapped.

"Kakashi's not dead!" Sai hollered as he grabbed the back of Sasuke's head and pushed him to the ground as he ducked a shot. He pulled up his wrist and brought it close to his mouth. "The leader should be outside any minute! I need backup in here, now!"

"Backup? What?" Sasuke demanded, utterly confused.

"_Affirmative on the leader. We have Danzo in our custody, repeat, we have Danzo in our custody. Help is on the way."_

Sai threw Sasuke behind a table and dived after him, looking around for Naruto. He was across the room, fighting to keep Deidara's gun away from him, the two of them struggling to grab it.

"Dammit!" Sai hollered, knowing there was nothing he could do at this point.

Naruto himself barely noticed anything else going on in the room. All he wanted was to get Deidara's gun and shoot the bastard for trying to kill Sasuke. He didn't stop to think about why Sai had saved him, he didn't stop to think about what was happening now—all he cared about was prying the gun out of Deidara's bleeding hand.

Just when Naruto thought he'd succeeded, Deidara tripped him and the blond boy fell flat on his ass, Deidara pointing his gun at him.

"You think your father is _so_ special. You think he was a hero and your mother was a monster. Too bad you don't know the truth." He smirked at Naruto.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto demanded as he glanced around for a way out of this. The next words out of Deidara's mouth made him freeze.

"Your mother never killed Arashi Uzumaki." He looked up slowly, his eyes locking with Deidara's. "She couldn't. She tried, but all she did was cry as she aimed the gun at him. Your father never killed Minako Uzumaki. He couldn't do it, either. As long as she didn't pull the trigger, then neither would he. It wasn't even mother dearest who gave you those scars, little boy." Naruto's left hand instinctively went to his scarred cheek.

"Wh-what are you talking about? My dad—on the way to the hospital. He said—"

"Did he, now?" Deidara smirked at the stuttering boy, confusion clouding the blond's bright blue eyes. "Are you sure it wasn't just some made up story? Are you sure your father wasn't already dead by the time they brought him into the ambulance?"

"Yo-you're lying!"

"_I_ was the one who shot your father!" Deidara screamed. "_I _was the one who killed your mother! And _I_ was the one who gave you those scars!"

"No! It's not true! My mother killed my father!" Naruto insisted as he covered his ears with both hands, beginning to hyperventilate. He _hadn't_ been wrong his entire life! He _hadn't _been!

"No, she didn't. You spent your whole life hating the wrong person." Deidara smirked. "Now, at least you can die with the truth."

Naruto wasn't even listening anymore as Deidara prepared to fire. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a bullet hit him in the centre of the forehead. He fell lifelessly to the ground, the gun still in his hand. Naruto's eyes locked onto it.

"Thank fucking Christ!" Sai hollered as men clad in black rushed into the building, shooting at the Akatsuki members. A few of them went down, but others were merely wounded. The sheer number of people rushing in at them, though, forced the wounded Akatsuki members to just give up.

"You all right?" a man asked as he came towards Sai and Sasuke.

"We're fine." Sai muttered as he got to his feet, wincing as his injured arm screamed in protest to the movement. "I think I dislocated my shoulder, though."

"Kid, stop!"

All three heads snapped towards the screaming voice and Sasuke gasped before rushing across the room.

"Naruto, put the gun down!" Sasuke hollered as he stopped a little ways away from Naruto.

The blond was shaking as he held Deidara's gun in his hand, aiming it at a wounded Orochimaru. The Sannin looked terrified as he stared into the angry blue eyes of the boy he had tormented for so long.

"He ruined my life!" Naruto hollered.

"Naruto, if you shoot him, you'll only become the murderer you were so scared of being!" Sasuke insisted. He slowly moved towards Naruto, making sure not to make any sudden movements. "You never once killed any of the people you were sent to kill. Someone else always did it. But if you pull that trigger, right here, right now, you are becoming one of the murderers you hated for so long. You _cannot_ pull that trigger! _Please_!"

Naruto's hands shook violently, to the point where if he even pulled the trigger, the chances of it actually hitting Orochimaru were slim. Sasuke reached him and gently pried the gun from his hand.

"It's over. It's okay." He let the gun fall to the ground as Naruto collapsed to his knees, crying into his hands. Sasuke hugged him tightly.

* * *

"Name?"

"Sai Baikan."

"Age?"

"Twenty-six years old."

"Place of birth?"

"Vancouver, British Columbia."

"Badge number."

"Number 4567723290."

"All right, detective Baikan." The CSIS agent's superior officer leaned back in his chair. "Start from the beginning."

**

* * *

A/N: Muahahahahaha! How many of you called Sai? Huh? Huuuuuh? .:poke poke: (A few of you, actually... you all insisted it was mindless drabble. Tch.) I gave you hints! Like Sai in the stairwell, talking about Naruto holding up. And Sai calling someone after telling Sasuke that Naruto needed him to say they had a problem (namely, Naruto being addicted to heroin). And Sai needing help with making Kakashi "disappear"... and the dark eyes watching Naruto and Sasuke leave during his withdrawal and calling someone--wouldn't Akatsuki have showed up SOONER if Sai had informed them that Sasuke and Naruto left? No, no, no, Sai called his superior to ask for instructions. Muahahaha! I'm so evil.**

**And why did people think I was going to kill off the main characters? I said DEATHS, yes, but I never said CHARACTER DEATHS, lol. I was referring to all the murders. :sweatdrop:**

**Props to Oraday for accidentally calling Sai a loooooooooooooooooooong time ago when she claims she was rambling. HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?! GAH. :shakes fist: You have a direct link to my mind, I know you do! Don't deny it!**

**Oh, and all you Kakashi lovers who brutally beat me to death, I demand an apology! Humph! lol**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	21. I Lost The Game

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Disclaimer- :Lower lip quivers and runs from the room because they're not hers: K. Masashi is so mean! His parents obviously never taught him how to SHARE!**

**A/N- :Blinks: Wow... I have... whoa... You guys are amazing. I can't believe I have over 1000 reviews. That is... so awesome. Thank you all so much. :Is happy:**

**Also, my friend's dad (who is a cop) made me make a huge mistake. He told me CSIS was spelt CESUS, but Spencer (thank you, btw) informed me that it was, in fact, spelt CSIS. So, sorry about that. I'm going to have to go change that. Y'all should thank Spencer, lol. **

**(Edit: Changed, but I wanted to keep this note to thank Spencer).**

**

* * *

**

Fourteen hours ago.

"You'll never get away with this." Kakashi said, forcing his student to look away from his lover. He just wanted to keep Iruka safe.

"Won't I?" Sai smirked. "Consider this a warning to your dear foster son. I'll let Iruka tell him of your passing." A sadistic smile crossed Sai's face. "Good bye, Kakashi Hatake."

A gunshot rang out.

"Kakashi!"

The grey-haired professor's eyes were clenched shut. As he felt no pain, he peeked open one eye and was greeted with the sight of Sai with one finger against his lips. Iruka had stopped halfway across the living room, having run for his lover when Sai pulled the trigger, but frozen when the other man seemed none the worse for wear.

Sai motioned Kakashi's bedroom and walked down the corridor to it. The two lovers shared a look, unsure of what to do. Kakashi then figured something important was happening, so he followed Sai to his room. Iruka did so, as well, though reluctantly. As soon as they entered, Sai closed the door.

"I don't have enough time to explain, so I have to be quick." Sai took a deep breath. "I'm twenty-six years old. The first time I met my Aunt Tsunade was when I applied for UBC. I was sent here by CSIS. I'm one of their undercover agents."

"What?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

Sai pulled out a badge and showed it to the two men. "I'm undercover. I've been in an organization called the Akatsuki for two years, now. When I caught wind of the Uzumaki child being recruited, I contacted my supervisor, asking him what I should do. I was told to watch him and make sure he didn't get killed. A kid like him has no reason to be forced into this kind of job. I couldn't do much for him but keep him alive. Of course, I screwed him over a few times because of my job in the Akatsuki, and I feel bad about it, but it had to be done." Sai took a deep breath. "Sasuke pissed off the head of this Akatsuki branch, and my orders were to kill you. As you can see, I didn't do that, and an agent is on his way to bring you somewhere safe. Unfortunately, Sasuke and Naruto have to go to the Akatsuki headquarters tonight."

"No." Kakashi insisted. "No, take them away! Bring them with me!"

"Unfortunately, I can't do that." Sai shook his head. "You see, we got lucky this time around. I was the one sent to kill you. If any other friends of theirs are condemned to death, there's no guarantee it'll be me, and they really _will_ die. I don't want that." Sai ran his hand through his hair. "My mission was to discover the identity of the leader of all the Akatsuki branches. I have done that, and now, we can move in. Tonight, all hell will beak lose at headquarters. But, Naruto and Sasuke have to show up, or the mission will fail."

Kakashi grit his teeth, not liking this at all. He could see the reasoning, but he still didn't like it. What if something went wrong? What if Naruto and Sasuke died?

"I know you probably don't like this, but it can't be helped." Sai insisted. "We're going to take you away, but Deidara has demanded your head. We'll have to work fast, but I believe we can make a mask of your face and put it on a corpse, giving the impression that it's you." He turned to Iruka. "I need you to do the best acting you can. If there's even a _hint_ that Kakashi is alive, those boys are dead."

"I understand." Iruka reassured. "I'll do my best."

"All right. We have to get started." Sai brought his wrist close to his mouth. "Are you here, yet?"

"_I've been standing outside for ten minutes."_

"Cheeky bastard." Sai grumbled. "Let's go, Mr. Hatake. We have little time."

**

* * *

**

Eighteenth of December.

"Agent Baikan, this is getting too dangerous." the twenty-six year old's supervisor said as the two of them pretended to be shopping in a supermarket. Sai was looking at the apples while his supervisor inspected the grapes, both pretending not to know each other. "I told you to pull out, and you did so, yet you then disregarded my orders and returned to the Akatsuki."

"You were discouraged." Sai said as he picked up an apple, shining it on his shirt before taking a bite. "You thought we'd never catch the leader. But whether or not we do, I'm doing a lot of good by being in Akatsuki. I'm saving people and making it look like they've died, and I'm keeping watch on the Uzumaki kid."

"I know you've got a soft spot for him, but you have to understand that you're an important asset to us!"

"Mr. Uchiha has his memory back." Sai whispered, causing his supervisor to pause in his actions. "I had no choice but to report it due to Orochimaru Sannin finding out. They're going to be going after him with more vigour, now. And this new Sasuke seems very protective. I have no doubt he will discover Naruto's secret, and endanger everyone Naruto holds dear." He turned his head slightly to look at his supervisor. "Are you telling me to step back and watch those eighteen and nineteen year olds die because of some organization that prides itself in killing others? Because I won't do it."

Sai's supervisor rubbed his eyes as he let out a small sigh. What the other man was saying was true, but he still didn't think it was a good idea leaving Sai in there.

"I'll give you one more year, Sai." he told his charge. "One more year, and that's it. You've been in there for too long already, and I won't lose you to them."

"Thank you, sir." Sai couldn't help but feel relieved. He was going to be able to help Naruto, after all. "I should head back. I need to get ready for tomorrow."

His supervisor frowned. "Where are you going tomorrow?"

Sai grinned. "To crash a party at Naruto's house." He threw his half-eaten apple at his supervisor before walking down the aisle and exiting the store.

**

* * *

**

Present.

"You!" Punch. "Sorry!" Punch. "Ass!" Punch. "_Bastard!_"

"Ow! Dammit, Kiba!" Naruto hollered as he rushed around the living room of his unit in Gage, trying to avoid the blows.

"You never tell me _anything_!" Kiba hollered angrily. "We're all worried sick about you, and _you_ go out and become a killer because you have no choice!"

"He never actually killed anyone." Sasuke insisted from his position on the couch, having to move from side to side on occasion when the fight between the two boys stopped in front of the television.

"Still! You were sexually abused, and you told no one!" Kiba landed a good, solid blow on Naruto's head.

"Ow!"

"You were forced to take heroin, the withdrawal having ended three days ago while you were in protective custody!" He managed to get a kick in, hitting Naruto in the ass as the other boy tried to vault over the couch.

"Ow!"

"And worst of all, you joined a band of serial killers to keep _me_ safe! Not only me, but still!" Kiba punched him square across the face, sending Naruto crashing to the ground.

"Sasuke! Why aren't you helping me?!" Naruto demanded before his eyes widened and he scrambled to his feet, Kiba still coming after him.

"Because, I was going to beat you up, too." Sasuke stated easily as he changed the channel. "Having Kiba do it saves me the trouble."

The front door opened as Kiba continued to chase Naruto around the small apartment. Sai walked in and cocked an eyebrow as Naruto and Kiba ran right past him, the blond complaining about losing brain cells.

"Did I miss something?" Sai asked, confused.

"Not really, no." Sasuke insisted as he continued surfing the channels for something interesting.

Sai walked towards him and plopped down on the couch beside him, Sasuke turning to look at him. The Uchiha let out a sigh before turning off the television and turning to Sai.

"I'm sorry about always being an ass to you." Sasuke muttered, avoiding Sai's eye as the older man stared at him inquiringly. "I didn't know you were only trying to help Naruto."

"There was no way for me to tell you." Sai smiled apologetically. "But it's good to know Naruto has friends like you, and Gaara, and Neji—"

"Coming through!" Naruto vaulted over the couch, right between the two ravens. Kiba was hot on his tail.

"Get back here!"

"And Kiba." Sai let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk, too. "You know, if Naruto were smart, he'd use the front door."

"No, he'd have to pause to get the door open, and Kiba would catch up to him." Sai reasoned.

Kiba grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt and the blond hastily pulled it off over his head, still running away from the enraged boy, now shirtless.

"I'm just glad you were on our side all along." Sasuke said to Sai with a smile. "I'm glad you were the one sent after Kakashi. If he had actually died..." Sasuke trailed off, not wanting to think about it.

"I was thankful, as well. Kakashi is a good man. He's a good guardian. I should like to spend more time with him, now that he knows I'm not actually a student and don't have to go to class." He laughed. Sasuke did, too.

"I'm also glad that you wanting to get into Naruto's pants was just an act." Sasuke said. Sai cocked an eyebrow at him. "I realize now you just did it to get closer to Naruto so you could protect him. But, man, your act sure had me fooled."

"Yeah." Sai said, a small smile on his face. "Act. Sure."

Sasuke frowned at his reaction, not liking the way Sai's eyes suddenly followed the half-naked Naruto across the room.

* * *

Sasuke pushed Naruto down onto the blond's bed before flopping on top of him and kissing the tip of his nose. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"You're such a loser, Sasuke." he teased.

"Am I, now?" The raven grinned evilly before dipping down and attacking Naruto's pulse with his teeth. The blond let out a groan.

"This is _definitely_ how I imagined the end of exams being." Naruto let out a loud moan as Sasuke found his sensitive spot.

"School's over." Sasuke kissed his way up Naruto's neck. "The murderers are behind bars." He kissed his way along Naruto's jawline. "And it's just an entire summer of you, me, and this wonderful, _wonderful_ bed."

"And me!"

"Go away, Genma!" the two boys hollered as Sasuke picked up the closest thing to him—Naruto's home phone—and hurled it at the door. It slammed quickly, the phone smashing into the wood and leaving a dent.

Sasuke sighed as he let his head drop onto his boyfriend's chest. "If I may ask, what possessed you to invite everyone here for an end of the school year party? I mean, Gaara, Kiba, the girls and everyone, I can understand. Kakashi and Iruka are a given—but _Genma_? And _Gai_?!"

"It was also a thank you to everyone who worried about me and tried to help me." Naruto smiled kindly, even though his boyfriend couldn't see him, what with his head resting on Naruto's chest and all. "And I wanted Tsunade and Jiraiya to meet some of the other professors. Orochimaru's betrayal of them hit them hard, so I think it's good for them to meet crazy people like Genma, and Anko—"

"Spiritous youth be with you all!"

"And Gai." Naruto smiled.

"Mm. I guess so."

Sasuke pushed himself up and grabbed the bottom of Naruto's shirt, wrenching it off his little blond's body before the other boy could protest. He threw it across the room before making quick work of his own shirt.

The second the damned material was out of the way, he began to give Naruto a few souvenirs on his chest, not willing to let the blond boy out of here without staking his claim on him.

But, as usual—someone always interrupts them.

"My _eyes_!"

Sasuke let out an annoyed growl. "I love him, and all, but that boy has the _worst timing ever_!"

"Are they having sex?!" Genma demanded as his footsteps were heard making their way to Naruto's room.

"Ignore them." Naruto insisted as he grabbed Sasuke's face and kissed him deeply.

As the two of them battled for dominance, Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open and he pushed Sasuke away from him. The raven opened his mouth to demand what was wrong, panic evident in his eyes, but it was replaced with confusion as Naruto laughed hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh my God, Sasuke. You'll never believe this." He grinned at his boyfriend. "I lost."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "You lost? You're thinking about the game while we're lying here making out?!"

"Well, it just proves that I'm thinking perverted thoughts while we're lying here making out." Naruto looped his arms around Sasuke's neck, fully aware of the fact that almost all their friends had entered his room to watch them. Sasuke didn't seem to care anymore, and neither did Naruto, so they continued on with their conversation as if no one was there.

"So, how many rooms did we have left?" Sasuke nudged Naruto's chin to the side and began to suck on his pulse again. Naruto let out a small moan.

"Too many." he breathed. "Shall we get on that?"

"Mm." Sasuke said against his neck. "Sounds like a plan."

"Can I watch?"

"No!" Sasuke and Naruto snapped before Raidou slapped his boyfriend across the back of the head.

"Ow! You guys all suck." he whined.

"I lost." Everyone smirked.

* * *

THE END.

**A/N: See? See?! Happy ending! Now give me a cookie! **

**And wait one more day for the epilogue.**

**Also, I feel the need to mention Scarhead90 because of something written in a review. I never even noticed it, so kudos on catching that. Scar noticed that for Roommates, the genre was "Humour/Angst" which was how the story, basically, played out. It was funny (I think/hope) and then went all angsty at the end. For this one, the genre was "Angst/Humour" and it started out all angsty and ended somewhat funnily... So, kudos on noticing that :smiles:**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


	22. Epilogue

**© 2006** **FastForward**

**Y'all should thank my sister for dragging me out tonight. It's the only reason I posted this so early. I was going to wait until ten o'clock my time, like I always do, but since I didn't think I'd be back anytime before midnight, I figured I would be nice and post this BEFORE going out. So... Enjoy the epilogue. :smiles:**

**Disclaimer- K. Masashi says I tortured them too much for them to be mine. :shuffles feet: He says they're trying to find me with torches and pitchforks. :shuffles feet some more: Yeah...**

* * *

Naruto climbed out of his black Viper, his hand resting on top of the car door as he stared out before him. Sasuke climbed out on the other side, slamming the door. He walked around the car and put one hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"You know—you don't have to do this." he whispered.

"Yes, I do." Naruto insisted. "Because of everything that happened this year—I didn't come here in February. I've never missed their anniversary, not once." He stared at the ground, as if blaming himself for not having had the time.

"It's not your fault." Sasuke insisted.

"Yeah." Naruto whispered. He stepped away from the car and slammed the door. As he began walking towards the gate of the cemetery, he turned to Sasuke, who was following him. "I-I want to do this—alone."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke inquired. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. I think—I owe my mum that much." He forced himself to smile, and Sasuke nodded. He knew it would be hard for the blond, but if he wanted to be alone, he would respect his wishes, even though he didn't understand what he meant about owing his mother.

"All right. I'll wait by the car."

"Thanks."

The two split, going separate ways. Naruto climbed the stairs that led into the old cemetery, walking through the rows of graves until he reached the one that had both his parents' names engraved on it.

"Hey mum, dad." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I've never been able to talk to you aloud before, because someone was always with me, but..." he trailed off. This was weird for him. He'd always spent all of his time praising his father and hating his mother. Now—things were different. "I found some stuff out a few months ago." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I don't know what to believe." he whispered.

"I grew up thinking dad was a hero and mum was a monster, but now—I don't know anymore. Deidara insists mum never killed you, dad. He says it was him. I don't know why he would openly admit that to me before trying to kill me unless it was true. I mean, he _did_ think I was going to die, so..." He shook his head. "I don't know anymore. I don't know anything anymore." He wiped furiously at his eyes as he felt tears forming.

"I guess—I'm going to try and believe you loved me, mum. I'm going to try and believe you loved dad, too. I mean, I have home videos and pictures of the three of us before—well, you know." He sniffed. "We looked happy. So I think—I want to imagine we were happy, once. I want to imagine our family was—not perfect, but normal, you know? Like if everything hadn't happened all those years ago, we'd be a happy family with normal problems. Like having an overprotective mum and an anal dad, or something." He smiled to himself.

"I think I can finally let it go. I can finally have pictures of the two of you together on my desk without ripping out mum's half. I can have one of the pictures of the three of us on my night table." Naruto wiped his cheeks to get rid of the tears. "I'm sorry—about everything. I'll try to be the son you wanted me to be. I love you—both."

Naruto felt a weight lifted off his chest as the words left his mouth. He could finally say he loved his _parents_. Not he loved his _dad_. It felt—nice. Different, but nice. He was happy he could finally let his hatred for his mother go, and he would be able to tell his friends what he'd found out. He hadn't told anyone, yet. Not even Sasuke. But he would, now. He would tell them all that, yes, his mother was a murderer—but she loved her family very much. So much so that she couldn't kill them.

Naruto turned away from the grave and walked back towards the gate. He climbed down the stairs and pushed through the gate, Sasuke pushing off the car and walking towards Naruto with his hands in his pockets.

"That was a short visit." Sasuke said, concerned. "I don't mind waiting. You can have a longer one."

"Nah. I've said all I needed to say." Naruto smiled. "And I have something to tell you about my mum."

"You do?" Sasuke was stunned.

"Yeah." Naruto's smile softened. "But not now. Later." He walked towards the car and pulled open the passenger-side door.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, almost alarmed.

"Letting you drive." Naruto flashed him a grin. "It may be my baby, but so are you." Naruto got in the car and slammed the door.

Sasuke stared at Naruto a long while. He'd only ever gotten to drive Naruto's car when the blond was injured, or when he had to go pick him up somewhere. He'd _never_ been allowed to drive the car if Naruto was capable of doing so himself. _Wow, he must be sick or something,_ Sasuke thought with a small smile as he made his way to the driver's-side door and got in.

A few seconds later, and they were zooming down the street, headed for the highway. They sat in silence for a long while, Sasuke keeping his eyes on the road, and Naruto leaning his head against his window, staring out at the passing scenery.

It wasn't until they were half-an-hour away from Naruto's house that the blond finally spoke.

"This must be the end." Naruto whispered as he stared out the window.

"Hm?" Sasuke inquired as he looked away from the road for a second before turning back to it. "What do you mean?"

"My grandmother." Naruto smiled. "Everything is always okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end." (1) He turned to Sasuke. "Everything is okay, so this must be the end."

"I don't know." Sasuke grinned as he put one hand on Naruto's thigh. "I'd call this the beginning."

"Eh?" Naruto stared at him, confused.

Sasuke leaned in to whisper to him, his eyes still on the road. "Genma told me something interesting the other day. You know how he's an uber horny bastard, and I'm only a mega horny bastard?"

"Yeah."

"He says I'm up to ultra." He grinned at his boyfriend, all the colour draining from Naruto's face.

"I swear to _God_, you turn into Genma, we're through!" Naruto hollered, pointing one finger at Sasuke while leaning back as far as he could against the car door.

"Raidou says that all the time." Sasuke grinned. "But, you know—you can _bribe_ me into not turning into Genma."

"Oh?" Naruto cocked his head to the side. "How's that?"

Sasuke turned to him with a malicious smirk before looking down with his eyes. Naruto followed his gaze and his eyes widened. "You're kidding!" he blurted out. "Right now? Here? While you're _driving_?"

"Do you want me to be like Genma, or not?" Sasuke grinned.

"Oh, you're going to pay for this!" Naruto exclaimed, pouting and crossing his arms. "You're going to pay really badly for this."

"You haven't done anything yet, so I can't pay for it." Sasuke smirked as he changed lanes. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to do it?" Sasuke inquired.

Naruto looked at him, then looked out the window, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He bit his bottom lip before looking back at Sasuke, the raven waiting expectantly. With an explosive sigh, he threw his hands in the air.

"All right! Fine! But just this once, dammit!" He shifted in his seat and reached over, undoing Sasuke's pants. "Fuck, it's a good thing Kiba's not here."

"Oh, way to ruin the mood!" Sasuke groaned. "Talking about that guy. I swear, it's a good thing he's _not_ here. He'd interrupt it—and then I'd have to kill him."

"I've already thought of your punishment." Naruto smirked as he leaned down.

"Oh?"

"Next time—I top."

Sasuke let out a sharp gasp as he was impaired from responding to the threat. "N-Naruto!"

**The REAL End.**

* * *

(1) I forgot to mention this in a previous chapter. As much as I would like to take credit for this line, it's not mine. I found it on a quotes site a few years ago. It's been my saying since forever and a half, but I didn't make it up. I'd give credit to the person who did, but unfortunately, I don't know who that was. :sweatdrop: Just thought I'd clear that up.

EDIT: Thanks to an anonymous reviewer who said the quote comes from "Tuesdays with Morrie" (I don't even know what that is, so fair's fair). Thank you.

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**A/N: Yes, this is the REAL end. It's over. No more. Roommates is officially dead. Cause... you know, since this was the sequel, it's still technically Roommates... cause... you know... yeah... :shuffles feet: And NO TRILOGY!. :shakes fist: Some of you are asking for a third one! Wasn't two enough?. :cries: This was torture! TORTURE! The only way for me to write a third one would be if I was CERTAIN I could make it as decent as Roommates and Blood and Tears. Since I don't think so... NO TRILOGY! ... But I'll let y'all know if I change my mind... I mean... after all... I wasn't going to do a sequel...**

**Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through this angst-fest, and thank you infinitely for all the reviews you have given me. :smiles: Reviews are always awesome, and I appreciated them. Thank you to those of you who took the time to do so. **

**Pyro readers will be happy to know I'm going to focus on that now, since Blood and Tears is over, and The Challenge will be updated more, too. Sorry I've been taking a while. :sweatdrop:**

**Again, thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed the ride. :smiles: Unfortunately for all of you, I'm not disappearing any time soon. I still have... :counts on fingers: four more ideas rolling around in this brain of mine. :grins: If you want more of my humour/angst, you know where to find me. :smiles:**

**EDIT: You damn, persistent, EVIL PEOPLE! FINE! Trilogy! FINE! Gah, I can't get a break from you people, lol. I can't tell you when three's coming out, but it'll be out eventually. It'll be called "Follow the Leader."**

**EDIT 2: "Follow the Leader" is now out.**

**© 2006** **FastForward**


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